France

Massacre of the Innocents - St Ouen, Rouen

Massacre of the Innocents

These two stained-glass panels from the choir clerestory of St Ouen form a paired narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents, rendered in the incisive and highly expressive manner characteristic of the early 14th-century Norman workshops. Though each panel stands within its own Gothic architectural frame, complete with gabled canopies, foliate bosses, and alternating bands of strong primary colour, the scenes are conceived as a continuous episode of violent disruption, unfolding across two moments of the same biblical tragedy.

Months of the Year - January to June

 

The left hand side of the Zodiac window at Chartres Cathedral contains the twelve months of the year. The panels here depicting January to June, were donated by count Thibault VI on behalf of Thomas of Perche.

 

 

Months of the Year - July to December

 

The left hand side of the Zodiac window at Chartres Cathedral contains the twelve months of the year. The panels here depicting July to December, were donated by count Thibault VI on behalf of Thomas of Perche.

Nativity, Circumcision, and Epiphany

This third sequence of sculpture on the choir screen, starting at the western end of the south ambulatory, is the work of Jehan Soulas from 1521-1535. Sculpted from the hard limestone from the Tonnerre quarry, this consist of scenes depicting the Nativity, Circumcision, and Epiphany.

 

Neufchâtel-en-Bray

The centre of Neufchâtel-en-Bray was almost completely demolished during heavy German bombing on June 7, 1940. Some 800 of the towns 1200 houses were destroyed. The church of Notre-Dame, dating from the twelfth century was severely damaged, and almost all of the stained glass windows from the 13th century shattered. These windows have now been recreated from drawings and descriptions that were made in the 1930s.

Noah Window

This early 13th century window depicts the story of Noah, was donated to the Cathedral of Chartres by the town's carpenters, wheelwrights, and coopers.

 

 

North Aisle, Orleans Cathedral

 

These 5 stained glass windows are part of a series of 10 windows on the life of Joan d'Arc. They are part of a commission by Jacque Galland and Esprit Gibelin for Orleans Cathedral in France.

 

North Portal - Bourges Cathedral

The north portal of Bourges Cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary ⓘ. The Tympanum dates from between 1160 and was part of the older church the the Gothic cathedral replaced. This portal suffered a lot of damage during the Wars of Religion in 1562.

Notre-Dame d'Amiens

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 for the coherence of its plan, and the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation Notre-Dame d'Amiens, is the tallest completed Gothic church and largest cathedral in France. The Romanesque cathedral had been destroyed by fire in 1218, and Bishop Evrard de Fouilly employed Robert de Luzarches as the architect to build the new cathedral in the Gothic style to house the head of John the Baptist ⓘ which had been bought back as a relic by Wallon de Sarton returning from Constantinople in 1206 after the 4th crusade.

 

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