Leading figures in the contemporary art world, Anne and Patrick Poirier are bringing life and colour back to the chapel of the Palais du Tau, having designed the new stained glass windows that will enrich the visitor experience at the Musée des Sacres de Reims, which is due to open next winter.
The Palais du Tau, which is closely linked to the nearby Reims cathedral both in the history of France and as a Unesco World Heritage site, houses its own gothic chapel. Within the intimacy of its high walls, the kings of old could engage in private prayer before the tumult of their coronation began. Over the centuries, much of the chapel’s splendour has been stripped away; until recently, its white windows and bare stone nave gave the chapel a feeling of cold austerity. That was before France’s national centre for historical preservation (the Centre des Monuments Nationaux) set about the restoration and refurnishing of this edifice, and brought in two renowned artists to install contemporary stained glass windows. Combining their vast experience as visual artists, archaeologists, architects, sculptors and photographers, Anne and Patrick Poirier now express their shared artistic vision as a couple. Having earned recognition the world over, their joint body of work reflects the notion of fragility and memory.
Folds and drapery
For this particular commission, the pair did not have to look far in search of references to the past. “Our work is always closely linked to the spaces in which it is presented. When the CMN asked us to design stained glass windows for this Palatine Chapel, we started out by studying the building closely, along with an observation of the Cathedral. What immediately inspired us was the presence of cloth and drapery throughout these spaces: in the sculptures on the facade, the tapestries in the palace, the great coronation mantle…these recurring motifs made us think about the windows, which in the Middle Ages would have been covered with huge wall hangings. So we chose to interpret the stained glass windows as cloth coverings, in order to restore a sense of intimacy, and to bring light and warmth of colour to this space imbued with history.”
A patron for each stained glass window
The vision Anne and Patrick Poirier drew from these inspirations was then passed into the capable hands of the Duchemin and Simon-Marq glassmaking ateliers, before the full-scale creations were exhibited on 29 January this year when five of the thirteen stained glass windows were installed. Arranged along the colour spectrum, their light sweeps over the floor in shimmering reflections. “At the upper edge of each hanging, we left a small section of blue sky, evoking a face or a corner of heaven.” Given the project’s financial requirements, the CMN issued a call for sponsorship with one patron per window, and one colour each. This enabled private enterprises and benefactors such as the ArsNova Philanthropic Endowment Fund to lend their support to the Fondation du Patrimoine. For Marie Rouvillois, director of ArsNova, supporting the project was a natural choice: “This project aligns perfectly with our vision, combining heritage preservation with contemporary artistic expression. Moreover, it echoes the very first Philanthropic ArsNova project in 2024, which involved the restoration of a stained glass window by Lalique in the church of Saint-Nicaise in Reims.”
Next winter, when the Musée des Sacres (coronation museum) opens its doors to the public, the chapel of the Palais du Tau will be bathed in coloured light for the first time in centuries.
