Notre Dame Rose Window - Paris, France, Cathedral Pillow

That glass could pierce a wall supporting tons of stone is a quintessentially Gothic architectural feat accomplished by traversing apertures with visually delicate but structurally strong webs of stone that break the glass into smaller shapes in a symmetrical way, distributing weight equally across the perforated wall, creating the impression of a curtain of light.Notre Dame's north transept wall, consisting of a rose window surmounting 18 lancet windows, was built ca. 1250-1260 while Jean de Chelles was architect.Most of the original 13th C. glasswork is still intact, filtering light into a rainbow of blues, reds, greens, browns and yellows.