Which cathedral contains the famous 11th-century stained-glass windows known as the Augsburg windows?

Augsburg Cathedral contains the famous 11th-century stained-glass windows known as the Augsburg windows. They are among the oldest surviving examples of figurative stained glass in the world.

The windows are located in the cathedral’s clerestory and depict biblical figures, including prophets. Their bold outlines and intense colors reflect Romanesque artistic traditions rather than the more elaborate tracery and narrative cycles associated with later Gothic cathedrals.

Augsburg’s glass is especially important because relatively little large-scale stained glass from the eleventh century survives in its original architectural setting. The cathedral itself combines Romanesque and Gothic elements, reflecting centuries of construction and rebuilding.

The windows are sometimes described simply as “Romanesque stained glass.” That label distinguishes them from the later Gothic glass at places such as Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle.