Clerestory Windows: All About These Church-Inspired Windows

Clerestory windows are a style you've probably seen a lot but perhaps know little about. They're the windows set high up in walls - indeed, the distinguishing factor of clerestory windows is they're set well above eye level. These windows have a long history, and they can add a lot of beauty to your rooms. Find out all about these high-up windows.

Clerestory windows date back to Ancient Egypt. The Hypostyle Hall of the Temple of Amon features central columns with pierced stone slabs. The windows also make their appearance in Roman architecture. For example, the Baths of Diocletian feature large, semicircular window openings in its side walls.

However, clerestory windows are best-known for being a major light source in cathedrals. Builders in the Romanesque and Gothic periods made wide use of clerestory windows. Such churches were often huge and featured vaulted ceilings. The clerestory windows admitted light into what would otherwise be a dim space. Chartres Cathedral offers famous examples of paired clerestory windows.

Those Romanesque and Gothic churches are the predecessors of the modern-day clerestory window because they featured glass. Indeed, they became ornate, often featuring stained glass and decorative muntins.

Contemporary styles of clerestory windows look a little like horizontal sidelights, meaning they're narrow rectangles set on the long side. They can consist of single sheets of glass or multiple panes. A common adaptation of this style of window features shorter rectangles or even squares in a row.

Many architects place clerestory windows high up under vaulted ceilings to break up such a tall wall. In this orientation, you see different configurations of the windows. For example, you might see hexagons or octagons. If the goal is to emphasize the shape of the vaulted ceiling, they might use a pentagon flanked by trapezoids or two trapezoids alone.

As noted above, designers often use clerestory windows under vaulted ceilings to provide visual interest in that tall wall. This usage hearkens back to the windows' original usage in cathedrals. Indeed, you often get a spiritual effect with this style of clerestory window, especially if you choose a stained glass or otherwise ornate style.

The presence of the windows visually breaks up the space between the wall and ceiling. Some designers use that fact to create what looks like a floating ceiling. To do that, they fill in the space between the top of the wall and the ceiling with panes of glass.

Even though clerestory windows take their foundation in a historical style, they can be very modern. This modern style comes in the expanse of glass minimally broken up with sashes. So, architects often incorporate several clerestory windows into modern house design. For example, the windows are integral if the goal is to give the appearance of an entire glass wall.

Designers often use the windows to highlight different levels in an open plan house. For example, a onestory room might open up to one with a vaulted ceiling. The designer might place clerestory windows above the single-story room to emphasize the change in levels.

Clerestory windows were initially developed to illuminate dim spaces, and that's still their main advantage. Indeed, that's one of the main reasons designers use clerestory windows with vaulted ceilings. The vault can become gloomy if it doesn't receive natural light. Clerestory windows are also a good way to allow in diffused light without the damaging effects of direct sunlight.

The other main advantage of clerestory windows is the privacy they afford. Located so high up in the wall, you don't have to worry about prying eyes. Even if the neighbors have a two-story house, they won't be able to see anything of note through windows located well above eye level in your own home.

Explore how clerestory windows can add benefits to the rooms in your house. We at Mid-South Exteriors can help you!