Marc Chagall

Painting in light...

Marc Chagall was a Hasidic Jew ("the Hasidim serves God with Joy"), raised in Vitebsk, Russia (now Belarus). From 1912 to 1985 he lived in France, except for a brief period between 1941 and 1948 in the USA.

Although most of his religious paintings were inspired by the Old Testament (Talmud) stories, Jesus Christ appears in many of his works, particularly in his stained glass which Chagall called 'painting in light'.

The windows at Tudeley were inspired by Psalm 8: God’s love as shown through his creation.

Chagall: Self-portrait, Uffizi, Florence 

To see a short video of one of our volunteers talking about the creation of the windows, go here.

You can also see a video including Chagall working on his stained glass here. Especially see 6'30" in.

Other places to see Chagall’s painted glass

Go here for a map

(in chronological order of completion):

Assy, Haute Savoie, France
Eglise Notre-Dame de Toute Grace
Chagall’s first two painted glass windows, 1956-7

Moissac, Tarn-et-Garonne, France
Eglise Abbatiale Saint-Pierre, Chapelle du Saint Sacrement
One window, 1962 

Jerusalem, Israel
Synagogue of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Centre
Twelve windows on the tribes of Israel, 1960-62 

New York NY, USA
UN Building, United Nations
Peace window in memory of Dag Hammarskjöld, 1963-4

Tarrytown NY, USA
Union Church of Pocantico Hills
Nine windows, 1963-6

Metz, Lorraine, France
Cathedral St Etienne
Nineteen windows on biblical scenes, 1958-68

Zürich, Switzerland
Fraumünster
Five windows on biblical scenes, 1969-70

Nice, France
Musée National Message Biblique
Three windows in the concert hall, one in the permanent exhibition, 1971-2

Reims, France
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Three windows, 1973-4

Chichester, Sussex, UK
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
A window based on Psalm 150, 1978

Sarrebourg, Lorraine, France
La Chapelle des Cordeliers
Five windows on peace and life, 1976-8

Chicago, USA
Art Institute
Three windows on the arts (not on permanent display?), 1976-9 

Le Saillant, Limousin, France
Chapel
Six windows on nature, 1978-82

Mainz, Germany
Church of St Stephan
Nine windows by Chagall, 1977-1984, and others by his collaborator, Charles Marq