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When did narrative stained-glass windows made of medallions first become widespread?

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The north rose window at Chartres Cathedral in France, featuring intricate stained glass with vibrant geometric and biblical designs in a large circular and five tall vertical panels. — stained glass The stained-glass rose window in the north transept of Chartres Cathedral, France.

Narrative stained-glass windows composed of medallions first became widespread between 1140 and 1144, when they were used extensively at the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris.1

While early 12th-century windows often featured single monumental figures, the development of the narrative window—which utilized a series of medallions painted with pictorial subjects—represented a significant advancement in the medium. This design approach allowed glaziers to integrate complex didactic imagery with the structural armatures required to support large windows, eventually becoming a hallmark of the great Gothic cathedrals.12