Stained glass windows - Machelen

Storylines - Story forms

The historic stained glass windows from the transept and side chapels of the Sint-Gertrudis church in Machelen were dismantled in 1949 after they suffered heavy damage during the Second World War. They were stored in jute bags and wooden boxes. The panels were first studied with a view to restoration in the 1990s.

In April 2001, art historian Aletta Rambaut, together with Liwien Lamboo, succeeded in completely mapping the position of the remaining shards after intense puzzling. Unfortunately, the damage to the historic stained glass windows was considerable. They found that not only were many parts missing, but also that over the years most of the heads had disappeared from the south transept window along with the complete figure of Peter.

In 2010, the restoration of the historic stained glass windows assigned to architect Gisèle Gantois. However, so many pieces were missing, especially in the figurative stained glass windows in the north and south transepts, that it was not an option to reconstruct the gaps as there were no usable drawings or photographic recordings of these windows. Moreover, it was important to maintain a clear distinction between the original pieces and the new part. The stained glass windows by the Comère-Capronier studio were of such quality that even without the heads and despite the numerous gaps, the expression of the figures remained clear in their posture, their hands, the folds in their clothes, supported in part by the perpendiculars.

With this idea she engaged visual artist Peter Schoutsen to jointly create a substantive and feasible concept.

The Concept

Stained glass windows have a message. The light that enters through the extensive color palette mystifies the church space. When you look at this light, you see a Biblical figure or a Biblical story depicted figuratively with the associated symbols and colors. These images are related to the time in which the stained glass windows were made and do not follow the style characteristics of the period in which the figure lived or in which the event took place.

The artist chose to work with characters, rather than with the reconstruction of the figures. In the various scenes, not only the message depicted was translated, but new layers of meaning were also added through Biblical stories that are linked to the original image. The texts are also placed behind the performances on which they are based they act as a carrier to keep the existing historic glass shards in their original place after restoration and to fill in the missing glass shards and panels. Fragments of the texts become visible and, on the one hand, encourage the viewer to analyze the performance, which is evident from the posture and composition of the various figures, and on the other hand, related storylines are plotted.

Some texts are readable from the interior thanks to the incoming sunlight, other texts are only readable from the exterior when the artificial light in the church illuminates the stained glass windows in the evening. The colors of the letters and new backgrounds are based on the substantive Christian color symbolism and matched to the colors already used of the remaining glass pieces.

North transept window (Atelier Comère-Capronier, 1907)

The north transept window (gospel side) depicts the sisters Mary and Martha washing the feet of Jesus. In their 2001 study, Rambaud and Lamboo referred to Machelaar Edmond Panneels, doctor of history and clergyman who devoted a chapter in his book De Sint Gertrudiskerk in Machelen to the iconographic program of the stained glass windows. He described the north transept window of Christ with Mary and Martha as follows: 'We see Martha concerned with the temporal, namely the outwardly good reception of the Divine Master. In contrast, we see Mary, her sister, in adoring admiration at the feet of the Savior. At the bottom we read the following phrase from the Gospel of S. Luke "Optimam partem elegit", i.e. Mary has chosen the best part.' (Panneels, E. , 1946. The Sint Gertrudis Church in Machelen, pp 24-25)

The red text on the new glass parts is the text fragment: 'Mary anoints Jesus'. This is the closing text of chapter 11 of the Gospel according to John. In this text the Pharisees want to arrest Jesus. Red represents salvation and sacrifice. The texts are elaborated on blue glass. Blue is the color of divinity, infinity, innocence: the color of heaven, color of faithfulness.

The newly inserted green text is the text fragment: 'The death of Lazarus'. In this text, Mary and Martha ask Jesus to help the sick Lazarus. Lazarus is raised from the dead by Jesus. Green is the color of hope.