his stained-glass window in the Église Saint-Joseph at La Bourboule depicts St François de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church, whose gentle spirituality and pastoral writings made him one of the most beloved saints of post-Reformation France. Designed and executed by François Taureilles of Clermont-Ferrand, the window belongs to the same early-twentieth-century series as Taureilles’s depictions of the Holy Family and St John the Baptist elsewhere in the church.

The saint is shown in episcopal vestments, one hand raised in blessing, the other holding a book—his Introduction à la Vie Dévote. Two narrative quatrefoils accompany the central image. In the upper scene, he kneels in prayer, illuminated by a shaft of divine light; behind him a nun, probably St Jeanne de Chantal, tends a sick woman and child, evoking the foundation of the Order of the Visitation and its mission of compassion. The lower quatrefoil portrays François de Sales standing among children, teaching with serene authority, a reflection of his vocation as preacher and spiritual guide.

Taureilles’s composition unites the clarity of medieval design with the harmony of modern colour. Deep blues and rubies dominate the palette, relieved by golden ornament and areas of clear glass that admit a tranquil light. The figures are drawn with restraint and tenderness, their gestures calm yet eloquent. The overall effect is one of reflective devotion rather than dramatic display.

Installed during the embellishment of St Joseph’s in the early 1900s, this window embodies the continuing vitality of French stained-glass art in the provinces. Through its luminous balance of narrative and contemplation, it honours St François de Sales as the saint of gentle holiness—teacher, intercessor, and friend to souls seeking God in the ordinary course of life.