In Troyes, the art of stained glass brought to light
In the center of Troyes, half-timbered houses, churches and narrow streets bear witness to the medieval origins of the capital of Aube. Inaugurated on December 15, 2022 in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, the Cité du stained glass intends to be part of this heritage and become, within the historic center, the setting for the secular glass heritage of the department.
This new cultural place is housed in the former Hôtel-Dieu, which the city of Troyes has owned since 1990. Its purpose is to make this age-old art accessible through a permanent exhibition presenting a wide variety of stained glass windows. The idea dates back to the 1970s. Already at the time, local elected officials and master glassmakers sought to enhance the richness of the stained glass windows of Aube, of which 220 churches are listed for glass heritage.
The success of one-off initiatives, such as the “Archives and vitrail” exhibitions in 2008 and “Le Beau XVIe century, masterpieces of sculpture in Champagne » in 2009, extends this desire to create a space devoted to the exhibition and conservation of stained glass. A prefiguration space of the Cité du stained glass, open to the public between 2013 and 2018, confirms the attraction aroused by the stained glass windows, and led the department of Aube to invest 15 million euros in the project. The city of Troyes is supporting it with 1 million euros, and the Grand-Est region with 520,000 euros. Organizers hope to welcome 50,000 visitors in the first year.
Educational and historical
The stained glass windows on display come mainly from religious buildings. In Aube, nearly 350 churches have them. The works of the Cité du vitrail have been detached from their places of origin, either because the churches have been destroyed or restored, or because the stained glass windows themselves have been destroyed and then restored. The sixty original windows that are gathered there can be appreciated “at human height”, emphasizes Anne-Claire Garbe, curator of the Cité du vitrail. Far from the heights from which the public is used to admiring them.
The route allows you to admire both stained glass windows from the Middle Ages and contemporary pieces, proof of the evolution and constant appropriation of this art over the centuries.
The permanent exhibition intends to restore “the diversity of periods, styles and functions of stained glass”, according to the curator. Educational and historical, the route allows you to admire both stained glass windows from the Middle Ages and contemporary pieces, proof of the evolution and constant appropriation of this art over the centuries. The dark “treasure room” contains what the City considers the masterpiece of its collection: a Trojan stained glass window from the end of the 12the century depicting the transfiguration of Christ and beautifully staged.
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