The Nativity, the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and the Visitation by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth: medieval medallions of vivid original 13th century biblical stained glass in the right lancet of three piercing the east wall of the early Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon, founded in the late 1100s on a hilltop in the northern city of Laon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France.
Laon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France: The Nativity (top) and the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and Mary’s Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth (bottom) are amongst New Testament biblical scenes from the Mary’s life, and from the childhood of Jesus, depicted in 24 roundels of vivid 13th century stained glass in the right lancet of the three piercing the east wall of the medieval Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon. These two pairs of yoked or linked medallions retain their original glass, as do most of the roundels in the central lancet, depicting the Passion of Christ, and in the left lancet, which concentrates on the life and martyrdom of Saint Stephen or Etienne, the cathedral’s patron saint, and also on the legend of Saint Theophile. Laon Cathedral, built in early French Gothic style in the 12th and early 13th centuries, replaced a Romanesque church that stood on the same hilltop site but was largely destroyed by fire when the neighbouring episcopal palace was torched during the Easter Insurrection of 25 April 1112. Laon lost its status as a bishopric during the French Revolution of 1789, but although the building now functions only as a parish church, it is still universally known as Laon Cathedral.
Size: 2676px × 2676px
Location: Laon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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