Chagall and the window at Chichester Cathedral

40 years ago this week, on the 28th March 1985, Marc Chagall died at the age of 98. The Chagall window in Chichester Cathedral was to be the last commission of Dean Walter Hussey who was Dean of the Cathedral from 1955 - 1977. Hussey himself was to die later in the year of 1985 and will feature in a subsequent article exploring the extensive artistic legacy he left to the city of Chichester.

Some years ago, whilst visiting friends in Israel I was taken to view the Chagall windows in the Abbell Synagogue of the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem.  Little did I realise at the time how these windows had a link back to my home town of Chichester.

These windows, 12 in number, portraying the 12 tribes of Israel, are brilliantly colourful and exuberant.   Watch this video to hear the story of how they came about and to learn what each window represents

Prior to their installation in Jerusalem the Hadassah windows were displayed both at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at a special exhibition at the Louvre in Paris in 1960.  This is where the link with Chichester was to begin.   Dean Hussey visited this exhibition and from that visit he was inspired to approach Marc Chagall to design a window for the Cathedral at Chichester.  These things take time to come to fruition but the window was finally installed in 1978 when Hussey had already retired. 

The window represents Psalm 150 Praise the Lord the text of which you can read here.  The window is a brilliant interpretation of the psalm showing all the musical instruments mentioned in the psalm as well as various animals and birds in praise of God.

If you haven't already seen it, then do take some time to do so, and maybe take a guided tour of the cathedral during this 950 anniversary year.

If this whets your appetite for more Chagall then the only other stained glass work by him in the UK is not too far away in the village of Tudeley in Kent.  These windows share a rather poignant link with Chichester.  The windows were commissioned by Sir Henry and Lady d''Avigdor-Goldsmid in memory of their daughter Sarah, who died in 1963 at the tragically early age of 21, in a sailing accident.  Sarah  and her mother had visited that same exhibition of the Hadassah windows at the Louvre,  Remembering how much their daughter had loved Chagall's work her parents were prompted to commission him to design the east window for All Saints at Tudely.  When Chagall arrived for the installation of this window he was so delighted with the result that he offered to do them all.   This is the only Christian church in the world to have all its windows decorated by Chagall.   Read more about All Saints here

If you want to follow Chagall further afield, he spent much of his career living in France. Having spent his later years on the Cote d'Azure the Marc Chagall Museum was eventually set up under the terms of the artist's will in Nice. He bequeathed to the city 17 separate works which make up his 'Biblical Message'. The art collection at the Marc Chagall museum is the biggest public collection of his work in the world.

Chagall died in the village of St Paul de Vence, near Nice, where he is buried.

Written by Vicki, our editor.  

Images are the writer's own - Chagall's grave, Chichester window, East window at Tudely