Lady Chapel - Life of the Virgin
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The Lady Chapel at Bourges Cathedral has three stained glass windows from the late 16th century that tell the stories surrounding the Life of the Virgin Mary. Three of the scenes from the New Testament concern events around the birth of Jesus. The rest are from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James.
In the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, Joachim and Anne want a child but Anne is thought to old to concieve. Joachim tries to make a sacrifice in the temple but is rejected as he is childless. Running into the hills he spends time with the sheep. An angel visits both of them and announce that they will have a girl, who they should dedicate to the temple.
Having received the news by the angel that they are to have a child, Joachim and Anne are reunited at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem.
At the age of three Joachim and Anne take her to the temple where she is dedicated to God. Tradition holds that she remained there to be instructed in Scripture and the history of the Jewish people. until she was twelve, when "lest she pollute the sanctuary of the Lord", she was married to Joseph.
The Annunciation scene follows a tradional design of the angel Gabriel holding a lilly, with the Virgin Mary shown surprised whilst reading a book. The addition of the cloud that Gabriel stands on is not a typical part of the Annunciation design, but was used by French stain glass studios in the late 19th century.
The next scene from the New Testament is the Adoration of the Magi, where the kings present their gifts with the stable in the background.
The final image taken from the New Testament is that of the Flight to Egypt. To the right of Joseph's head is a scene depicting the Massacre of the Innocents.
The third window in the chapel desc ribes the death and assumption of the Virgin Mary. The Dormition scene above, where Mary is supposed to have "fallen asleep' is in contrast to the rest of the panel dated to the 19th century.
The final scene is the Assumption where Mary's body is taken up to be united with her soul in heaven.