This four-light window depicts the Four Evangelists—St Matthew, St Mark, St Luke, and St John—each enthroned beneath elaborate Gothic canopies, writing or holding their respective Gospels. The tracery lights above illustrate the Adoration of the Virgin, providing a celestial counterpoint to the earthly labour of the Evangelists whose writings proclaim her Son’s Incarnation.

The Evangelists appear in richly coloured robes, characterised by confident linear drapery and restrained modelling. Each figure is accompanied by his traditional symbol and personal heraldic shield, placed in the predella below:

• St Matthew, with a winged man or angel, symbol of Christ’s humanity and Incarnation;

• St Mark, with the lion of royal courage;

• St Luke, with the ox of priestly sacrifice;

• St John, with the eagle of divine inspiration and vision.

The canopy architecture echoes that of the Four Latin Fathers window opposite—pinnacled tabernacles in white, gold, and ochre with blue damask grounds—reinforcing the stylistic coherence of the mid-15th-century glazing campaign.

Iconography

This window visually balances the Four Latin Fathers, forming a complementary theological statement: where the Fathers embody the interpretive and doctrinal authority of the Church, the Evangelists represent the inspired authorship of divine revelation. Together, they express the union of Scripture and Tradition—the written Word and its authoritative exposition.

The tracery imagery, centred on the Adoration of the Virgin, frames the Evangelists’ testimony within the redemptive mystery of the Incarnation, underscoring Bourges Cathedral’s Marian dedication and uniting the intellectual with the devotional in a single scheme.

Style and Attribution

The work belongs to the same 1460s–1470s glazing campaign as the Marian and Donor Cycle and the Latin Fathers windows. The painterly technique—particularly the luminous modelling of flesh tones and the rhythmic pleating of drapery—suggests execution by the Bourges Cathedral workshop, probably under Jean Lécuyer or André Robin.

The fine delineation of architectural canopy and the use of saturated ruby and ultramarine, enhanced by golden silver stain, are characteristic of Bourges’ glass painting at its zenith.

Context

The Evangelists and Fathers form a paired theological ensemble across the south ambulatory, an architectural dialogue between divine inspiration and human exegesis. Together with the Marian cycle, they create a tripartite visual theology: Revelation (Evangelists), Interpretation (Fathers), and Incarnation (Marian scenes).

This integration reflects the intellectual and devotional culture of 15th-century Bourges, a centre of learning and ecclesiastical authority under Archbishop Jean Coeur and King Louis XI.

Condition

The window retains a high degree of original glass, including the canopies, central figures, and heraldic panels. 19th-century conservation work affected mainly the outer borders and select tracery lights. The balance of hue and luminosity remains remarkably intact, preserving the clarity and depth typical of the Bourges atelier.