MedievalArt.org.uk - Photographs by Dr Stuart Whatling

Angers Cathedral - the Medieval Stained Glass

To view details, click the enabled bay numbers in the diagram below, or the captions below right.

 

Angers Cathedral - annotated plan of the medieval windows Bay 107b - The Life of St Peter Bay 107b - Life of St Eloi Bay 119 - Life of St Andrew Bay 119 - Life of St Vincent Bay 123 - Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Bay 125 - Life of St Catherine Bay 101a+b - Life of St Julien of Le Mans Bay 100a - The Passion Bay 100b - Infancy of Christ (relocated) Bay 108a - The Life of Thomas Becket Bay 108b - John the Baptist Bay 104a+b - Life of St Martin Bay 102a - Life of St Maurille of Angers Bay 102b - St Martin of Tours Bay 103b - Tree of Jesse Bay 103a - Life of St Laurence
Choir Windows
100a - The Passion (relocated)

100b - Infancy of Christ (relocated)

101a+b - Life of St Julien of Le Mans

102a - Life of St Maurille of Angers

102b - Life of St Martin

103a - Life of St Laurence

103b - Tree of Jesse

104a+b - Life of St Martin (relocated)

107a - Life of St Peter

107b - Life of St Eloi

108a - Life of St Thomas Becket

108b - Life of St John the Baptist

Nave & Transept Windows
119 - Life of St Andrew

121 - Life of St Vincent

123 - Death of the Virgin

125 - Life of St Catherine

Overview:

Angers suffered the usual iconoclastic assaults by Huguenot mobs (1562) and again during the Revolution, as well as long periods of neglect and clumsy restorations. Chronologically the surviving windows seem to cover a range from around 1180 (bays 121, 124 and 125 are probably the earliest) through to the middle of the 13th century - although such datings are based on stylistic grounds alone and should, as always, be treated with a pinch of salt. The only 13th century narrative windows not included here are bay 116 (John the Evangelist) and bay 127 (Infancy of Christ), neither of which I was able to photograph.