Stained Glass Windows (Ascension, Pentecost, and Typological Windows)
West rose window — c.1250, life of the Virgin
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Reims Cathedral possesses one of the most important ensembles of medieval stained glass in France — covering approximately 2,303 square metres across the nave, choir, transepts, and rose windows. The earliest windows (choir, c.1210-1220) include the typological windows showing parallel Old and New Testament scenes; the great rose windows of the west facade (c.1250-1260) show the life of the Virgin in the central oculus surrounded by prophets and bishops; the 13th-century clerestory windows depict rows of archbishops in grisaille and colour. The Reims glass is less concentrated in quality than the Chartres windows but represents a complete encyclopaedia of Gothic glazing — from the early Romanesque influenced narrative windows of the choir to the Gothic grisaille windows of the nave (a fashion introduced at Reims c.1240 and subsequently adopted throughout French Gothic architecture).
Reims Cathedral (Notre-Dame de Reims) was the coronation church of the French monarchy — 34 kings of France were crowned here between 1027 and 1825. The current building was begun in 1211 and largely complete by 1299; the west facade (the most elaborate Gothic facade in France, with its gallery of statues of the Kings of France and the Smiling Angel) was completed in the 14th century.
The cathedral was severely damaged in World War I (a direct hit in 1914 burned the scaffolding, destroying the roof and damaging many windows); the restoration, partly funded by the Rockefeller family, continued through the 1930s. Marc Chagall contributed three replacement windows in the axial chapel in 1974.
The grisaille windows of the nave (c.1240-1250) are among the most beautiful in medieval architecture: made of white and grey glass with simple geometric patterns and occasional colour accents, they flood the nave with a diffuse silver light entirely different from the concentrated coloured light of the choir. Compare the nave grisaille light with the choir coloured light by standing at the crossing and looking in both directions. The Chagall windows in the axial chapel (1974) are a remarkable 20th-century addition — the blue of Chagall's glass is a direct dialogue with the medieval tradition.
When standing before this work, look carefully: West rose window — c.1250, life of the Virgin. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
When standing before this work, look carefully: Choir windows — typological narrative, c.1210-1220. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
When standing before this work, look carefully: Nave grisaille windows — silver diffuse light. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
When standing before this work, look carefully: Marc Chagall windows in the axial chapel, 1974. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
Notre-Dame de Reims, Place du Cardinal-Luçon, Reims. Open daily; free admission to the cathedral. Guided tours of the tower and roof available.