Thousands of pilgrims flock to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres every year. Visitors come to see its amazing architecture, sculptures, and windows. This cathedral holds a series of stained glass windows that have been preserved to this day. Among these windows is the panel of Jesus’s lineage.
The Cathedral was rebuilt 1194 in Chartres, France. Originally, the church was renown for the relic of the Virgin Mary’s tunic. After multiple fires destroyed the original church, another fire started destroying most of the town. The visiting papal legate, Cardinal Melior, claimed that the survival of Mary’s tunic after that fire was a sign from the Virgin that the Romanesque Basilica should be built.
The Cathedral of Chartres, contains 186 medieval stained-glass windows of which 152 have survived today. It also contained over 2,000 square meters of stained glass. Some of the windows were commissioned by royalty including the French queen consort, Blanche of Castile (July 1223- November 1226). Lords, locals, nobles, clergy and tradespeople also donated toward the windows. There names were seldom recorded, but occasionally a small representation of their trade is portrayed on the bottom of the window.
The Chartres Cathedral holds three rose windows including “The Last Judgment,” the “Glorification of the Virgin,” and the “Glorification of Christ.” Beneath “The Last Judgment” are three panels of Romanesque glass from the 12th century that survived the fire. These four panels include the “Notre Dame de la Belle-Verriere,” “The Passion”, “Infancy of Christ,” and “The Tree of Jesse.” These pieces are some of the most noted examples of French stained glass. The latter panel was built in 1145 and was restored in the 13th century.
“The Tree of Jesse” has been noted as the most beautiful stained glass window of all the windows in the Cathedral. Jesse is seen at the bottom of the panel lying on a couch with linens and a red blanket which gives homage to the future sacrifice of Jesus. Out of his loins bursts a tree which represents the lineage of Christ. The panel is divided in half by the tree. Holding to the tree with both hands, are the ancestors of Christ including David, Solomon, Jereboam etc. Different depictions in other works of art of the lineage of Jesus include different amounts of ancestors, but all of them start with Jesse and end with Jesus. The central panel shows the ancestors with crowns. They do not carry scepters nor are they playing harps as commonly is depicted. They are simply the links to Christ and the proof that God is faithful. The kings of Judah are depicted against a blue background.
The panels on either side show fourteen prophets that bear scrolls which display their name. They are included because they foretold the birth of Christ. The prophets are depicted against a red background. Jesus is portrayed on the highest panel sitting on the top of the tree; it is a much larger panel and has doves descending from heaven. This displays Mark 1:10 where the Spirit fell upon him like a dove. These seven doves also are representative of the seven gifts of the spirit.
The design for the panels came from the abbey of St. Denise. There are many windows based on the theme of Jesus’s lineage. This was the first window with this theme and others were based on this idea. The window is an illustration from Isaiah 11:1-2. “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD” (New American Standard Bible).
References:
Alfons, Dierick. The Stained Glass at Chartres. Switzerland: Hallwag Berne, 1960. Print.
“Chartres Cathedral.” New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, 9 May 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
Metcalfe, Edna. “Catholic Activity: Jesse Tree.” Liturgical Year : Activities : Jesse Tree. Abingdon Press, 1979. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
Through the (Stained) Looking Glass 