The Fraumunster
I'm skipping ahead a little on this post because I came across a picture that reminded me of a wonderful moment. We were walking through the streets of Zurich when our friends turned to us and asked if we knew who Marc Chagall was ... "Of course", we answered ... But, what we didn't know was that there was a church in Zurich that had a set of stain glass windows created by Chagall when he was nearly 90 years old (In the 1970's). "Would you like to see them", they asked? Oh yes ... there was never any doubt. The windows were in a church The Fraumunster or Church of Our Lady. It was built in 874AD and not even the oldest of the churches in Zurich. This in itself is amazing.
It was everything I could have hoped for, but sadly we were not allowed to take pictures so other than this outside view, everything here is taken from the Internet. Put yourself in my place for a moment and imagine standing in front of this amazing display of talent by an artist whose heart was in every piece, illustrating his version of the wonderful stories of Christ and the Bible. There are five windows in a side chapel called the Choir, three at the end and one on each side. On my left was the Prophets window. It's colors were red and orange and the story was that of Elijah's ascent into heaven on a chariot and Jeremiah, the bearer of news. On my right was a beautiful blue window showing Moses holding the Ten Commandments. In the front are three windows the first of which was another blue window showing Jacob on his ladder wrestling with an Angel. In the center and the most prominent window was green and showed the family tree of Jesus and Christ with his arms outstretched floating upwards. The last window was in yellows showing the End of Days with an angel blowing a trumpet. It is believed that the colors themselves were symbolic, Blue and green being the colors of the earth and nature. Red and Orange being the colors of the Heavens. Chagall was known for his stain glass and for his colors. In his own words "For me a stained-glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world. It is something elevating and exhilarating". If you are ever blessed enough to visit Switzerland ... this is a must see!
There is more to the Fraumunster than the Chagall Windows ... The entired church is an assemblage of art and history. It was a very spiritual expericance.
Frescos by Paul Bodner
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Swiss Artist Augusto Giacometti Stained Glass Window
Chagall Rosette
The majority of the information above was gleaned from
Literary Places on the Internet. No auther was noted.
13 comments:
I have been enjoying your trip to Switzerland.. The windows in this church are beautiful. I am sure it was a lovely place to visit.. Thanks for sharing, have a happy week!
All very beautiful! Your post and photos! Chagall I always felt was a very enlightened man ~ thanks!
artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)
A wonderful experience - even if you weren't permitted to take your own photos! The stained glass is wonderful. I wonder if you were able to hear the organ? And I wonder how old it is? - that would give an indication of its sound.
That had to have been such a treasure to see this glass display. It's so hard to photo glass anyway, you really need to be there "in the moment" as you were and take it in with your eyes, heart and soul.
An amazing thing to see and especially since you had not planned on it in advance (those are the kinds of things that really stick in your memory!)
wow who knew. lucky you to be at the right place.
Gorgeous stained glass!
This is a beautiful building and the stain glass work is amazing as well as the art.
Oh wow, Andrea. These stained glass windows are just gorgeous! Being able to go inside the church to see all of it's beauty must have been quite breathtaking. I'm so glad you had the opportunity to visit this beautiful country. I'm enjoying your trip through your fabulous photos.
We had a very comfy night with temps around 54F. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be sunny and warm, and then of course the cold temps will be back, especially at night. Here's hoping that you get a couple of nice days too.
My little fellow was feeling much better yesterday right up until I gave him his doggie food for breakfast a little while ago. That did not set too well on his tummy. Poor little thing. Right now he is asleep, curled up in a nice clean blanket. If he's not better by tomorrow, I may have to call his doctor for an appointment.
Now I'm off to treat myself to another hot cup of coffee. You and Izzi have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
Still very fun that you have the memories of your visit to the church even if you couldn't take your own photographs, I so love going into those European churches and catles.
Wow! Thanks for sharing. If I ever get to Switzerland, this church is at the top of my list. I did not appreciate the wonder and joy of art until I saw Chagall's work.
I can't imagine seeing this beautiful stained glass in person...thank you for sharing your experience and sharing images of them. And wow, 90 years old when he created these...that's amazing!
Amazing work. It's too bad they wouldn't let you take photos (I wonder why). Anyway thanks for sharing the information about this place. It was beautiful.
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