Bay 12 - The Life of St Remigius (Rémy)
(Click captions below to open detailed view in this window or click
the relevant panel on the diagrams to the left to open in a new window).
02 - Donor figure praying before a statue of the Virgin and Child
01 - The infant Remigius cures the blind hermit, Montanus
03 - Brigands attack Remigius in his hermitage
04 - Remigius escapes, protected by heavenly flames (?)
05 - Remigius is chosen to be Archbishop of Reims
06 - Installation of Remigious as Archbishop
07 - Remigius cures a man posessed by a demon
08 - Clothilde seeks help converting her husband, King Clovis
09 - Remigius en route to the court of King Clovis
10 - Queen Clothilde welcoming Remigius to the royal court
11 - Remigius preaching to King Clovis and his court
12 - By prayer, Remigius stops a fire that threatened Reims
13 - Dining with a relative, Remigius learns they are out of wine...
14 - ...after Remigius prays, the wine barrels are miraculously filled
15 - Clothilde prays for the conversion of her husband, King Clovis
16 - Remigius also prays for the conversion of King Clovis
17 - Remigius baptizes Clovis
18 - Remigius blessing Clovis, the first Christian king of the Franks
19 - Remigius explaining something to King Clovis ?
20 - Remigius showing Clovis a vision ?
21+22 - Death and apotheosis of St Remigius
Remigius (aka Remi or Rémy) was Archibishop of Reims c.459-533. He is best known for the conversion and baptism of the first Christian King of the Franks, Clovis I.
This is quite a difficult window to unravel as some of the scenes (particularly panels 3, 4, 19 and 20) do note relate to any of the stories of St Remigius in any of the known textual sources. Nor do they appear in other image cycles. Even the great Yves Delaporte admitted defeat here. One can only assume that the designers of the window had access to a now lost source of legends about the saint. Other episodes, such as the miraculous appearance of the Holy Chrism used in the French coronation rituals, or the creation of wine at a feast (obvious and deliberate echoes of Christ's miracle at Cana) are widely depicted and also appear sculpted on the north transept portal of Reims Cathedral.
See Delaporte & Houvet pp. 266-71 for more on the background to this window and notes on its condition.