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October 28, 2005
Chagall in Mainz
Apart from the impressive cathedral there are quite a number of smaller churches in Mainz. The largest of them is St. Stephan situated on the Stephansberg, a little hill close to the old town of Mainz.
St. Stephan on top of the Stephansberg which was used as a vineyard until the beginning of the 19th century.
St. Stephan was founded about 990 by the Emperor Otto III on the instigation of the Archbishop of Mainz, named Willigis. At the beginning of the 13th century it was badly dilapidated and rebuilt in a Gothic style. The building activities finished around 1340. After having been severely damaged in 1857 due to the explosion of a powder magazine nearby it was almost completely destroyed during WW II. Only the exterior walls and the piers survived. It was finally rebuilt in 1959.
The church is entered through a portal from the North. The copper coated door shows the coat of arms of Bishop Stohr who oversaw the reconstruction in 1959 on the left and of Archbishop Willigis on the right.
North portal of St. Stephan
Nowadays St. Stephan is famous for its beautiful windows which were designed and painted by Marc Chagall between 1976 and 1981. Chagall was 94 years old when he finished the windows.
Interior of St. Stephan: the funds available in 1959 were not sufficient to rebuild the original Gothic vault in the nave. A flat ceiling had to do instead.
The dominating colour of the Chagall windows is a very friendly and warm shade of blue which gives the interior of the church a characteristic atmosphere as can hopefully be seen from the picture above.
The artist himself said about his windows:
"To the glory of God - and the appreciation, joy and hope of man.
Sign of the bond between Jews and Christians, the friendship between France and Germany, the understanding between all peoples."
Praise the Lord, all ye works of the Lord.
Praise the Lord, light and darkness (Daniel 3).
Posted by Mausi at October 28, 2005 10:09 PM
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Comments
Je ne savais pas, j'étais complètement stupéfaite, mais dans le bon sens, Chagall à Mayence !, quelle contradiction ! Qu'est ce que le Sud, les joies intérieures, l'exubérance, les jeux de bleus venaient faire à Mayence ? je suis tombée sous le charme. C'est un bonheur total de voir dans la lumière du Nord, les feux du Sud.
Merci, Christine B.
Posted by: Bausier Christine at April 5, 2006 12:19 PM
I made a prayer in St Stephan and it was made
Posted by: Hasid at October 17, 2006 10:25 PM