Results: The History of News and Communication ** Part Four ** Stained Glass Windows were used to tell Biblical stories, the Gospel's "Good News" & Heroes tales. Most people were illiterate up to the15th Century. Tapestries illustrate the past, back to 500 AD.

The history of the Bible depicted in these windows would also be connected to a brief representation of Church history. Saints were also shown in these windows and presented as a daily inspiration for the people struggling on their Christian journey. The windows were also very expensive to produce and so to encourage donations, names of patrons would be etched on the bottom. In larger medieval churches the patrons themselves would even be depicted along with the saints. If you were a rich person in those times would you donate enough to be included as an image in a stained glass window, an image to last forever more?

While both beautiful and iconic, European stained glass is only part of the stained glass tradition. Stained glass adorns many monuments worldwide, including some of the holiest sites in Islam–the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, home to over 250 stunning stained glass windows. Have you seen beautiful stained glass in your travels?

In the popular imagination, the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation of France is associated with heroic acts of guerrilla warfare, such as blowing up bridges or derailing trains. But in one small town near Paris, two artist brothers also resisted the occupation in their own quiet way -- with a politically charged stained-glass window. Local historians in the town of Montgeron have rediscovered a stained-glass church window that criticizes the Nazi occupation by depicting Adolf Hitler as an executioner. The dictator is shown in the act of killing St. James, who was one of Jesus' 12 apostles. Although Hitler's distinctive hairstyle can easily be recognized in the portrait, his trademark moustache has been left out. "The glassmakers hid it behind his arm, to avoid any trouble," local priest Dominique Guérin told the French newspaper Le Parisien. The church's stained-glass windows were unveiled in July 1941, during the Nazi occupation. Locals believe that the two artists, the Mauméjean brothers, deliberately depicted Hitler as the executioner of St. James, whom the church is named for, as an act of artistic and religious resistance. During World War II in Rouen, some glassmakers created secret messages by replacing pieces of glass in the stained glass windows of the cathedral. A specific color or a symbol. for example: Red meant there would be an operation the next day, A Cross meant it was time to cast off, a Triangle meant , there was convoy headed to London. They lit up the colors with candles. This was a closely guarded secret that grandparents have only recently shared with their children. Did you know Stained Glass Windows could harbor secret messages?

Tapestry -- The most famous 14th century tapestry made in Paris is the "Angers Apocalypse" (Musee des Tapisseries, Angers, France), which was made by Nicolas Bataille (active c.1363-1400) for the Duke of Anjou. This work originally comprised seven tapestries, each about 16.5 feet in height and 80 feet in length. It was based on design cartoons drawn up by Jean de Bandol of Bruges (active 1368-81) - court painter to Charles V, king of France - but sadly only about 65 of the original 100 or so scenes still exist. Have you seen this amazing tapestry?

Historians believe small scale tapestries were produced throughout medieval times across Europe. By the end of this period, tapestries adorned the walls of castles and churches throughout the kingdoms. Tapestries were not only used in a propagandist way, to narrate the stories of brave knights or to present Christian teachings but were practical, providing insulation and decoration for wealthy homes. Hand-stitched medieval tapestries were relatively coarse in comparison to those created on a loom. However, the tapestry weaving process did allow the production of complex imagery on a vast scale with some medieval tapestries produced in sets of several pieces. The Solebay Tapestries are the closest thing to photo Journalism of the day. The Victors write the History of any event. Were you aware that the Tapestries in museums today are showing us an illustrated history of great events in the past?

In Part Five we will review the invention of the printing press, books, and the printed pages of News! Initially, books were quite rare and expensive, until the invention of the printing press in the 15th century. As printed books became more common, literacy rates began to rise.