Vivid original 1200s AD medieval stained glass scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, including the Annunciation and the Nativity, 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: biblical scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and from the childhood of Jesus are 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. The three pairs of yoked or linked medallions in this image, all retaining their original glass, depict the following scenes from the New Testament Gospels: the Annunciation to the shepherds (top row), the Nativity (central row) and the Annunciation to Mary and the Visitation by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth (bottom row). The central lancet depicts the Passion from the entrance into Jerusalem by Jesus until the Ascension following his crucifixion, while the left lancet concentrates on the life and martyrdom of Saint Stephen or Etienne, the cathedral’s patron saint, and also on the legend of Saint Theophile. The Cathedral, built in French Gothic style in the 12th and early 13th centuries, replaced an earlier 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 × 3932px
Location: Laon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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