Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Metz Jean Cocteau's Stained Glass Windows

Jean Cocteau's Stained Glass Windows

A neighborhood church's unusual abstract stained glass was the final project of avant-garde artist Jean Cocteau.

Metz, France

Added By
georgiefhj
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Cocteau’s stained glass windows at Église Saint-Maximin in Metz.   LaurPhil
The shaman figure from the main window.   Christ-schmitt
Église Saint-Maximin.   Aimelaime
Faces and symbols are hidden in the glass.   Luc Galoppin
Two stained glass windows from Église Saint-Maximin.   LaurPhil
Jean Cocteau’s stained glass windows at Église Saint-Maximin.   Luc Galoppin
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  ddudink / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  ddudink / Atlas Obscura User
  ddudink / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
  schmitt020251 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Though the Église Saint-Maximin dates back to the 12th century, it is mostly unremarkable as far as medieval European churches go. That is other than its remarkable stained glass windows, which were designed by the avant-garde artist Jean Cocteau.

In 1960, Cocteau was commissioned to create the 24 stained glass windows for the Église Saint-Maximin. This was not the artist, writer, poet, and filmmaker's first creative endeavor within a church (he had painted murals from the life of Saint Peter on a chapel in Villefranche-sur-Mer) but it was his first time working with stained glass. It would be his last time as well, as this would be the final project at the end of his life.

Cocteau designed the windows around the theme of immortality, though the message of each image is not immediately clear. The artwork is abstract, and its cubism and blue hues have been compared to Chagall and Picasso, both of whom were contemporaries of Cocteau. The human figures are jagged and primitive like cave paintings, while the plants and vines swirl organically through the stained glass scenes. A figure that Cocteau compared to a "shaman" reaches towards the heavens.

The windows initially drew controversy, as they were significantly more experimental than the stained glass in most Catholic churches, which usually feature Baroque depictions of Biblical events. None of the images on the windows of Église Saint-Maximin are even overtly Christian, but the project came just after Cocteau had reverted to Catholicism again in the last years of his life. His spirituality was very open though, and he was fascinated by the role of myth in religion. He imagined the church space as a door through which to transcend from the profane and everyday into divine beauty, and designed his stained glass windows to facilitate such an experience.

Related Tags

Churches Stained Glass Windows Blue Art Naive Art Sacred Spaces

Community Contributors

Added By

georgiefhj

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, Blindcolour, MagnumPI, schmitt020251...

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • Blindcolour
  • MagnumPI
  • schmitt020251
  • ddudink

Published

March 31, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://espacetrevisse.e-monsite.com/pages/expositions/les-vitraux-de-cocteau-de-l-eglise-st-maximin-de-metz.html
  • https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Saint-Maximin_de_Metz
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Cocteau
  • http://espacetrevisse.e-monsite.com/pages/expositions/les-vitraux-de-cocteau-de-l-eglise-st-maximin-de-metz.html
  • http://espacetrevisse.e-monsite.com/pages/expositions/les-vitraux-de-cocteau-de-l-eglise-st-maximin-de-metz.html
  • http://lenouveaucenacle.fr/la-mante-religieuse-chez-cocteau-et-les-surrealistes
  • http://lenouveaucenacle.fr/proust-cocteau-ce-que-teleramaa-oublie-de-dire
  • http://lenouveaucenacle.fr/marcel-duchamp-et-jean-cocteau-le-meme-theme-de-lhomme-aux-bras-leves
  • http://lenouveaucenacle.fr/les-vitraux-de-jean-cocteau-un-hymne-a-leternite
  • http://lenouveaucenacle.fr/lhomme-aux-bras-leves-une-piece-de-theatre-en-hommage-aux-vitraux-de-jean-cocteau
  • http://lenouveaucenacle.fr/lart-totemique-de-cocteau-les-vitraux-de-metz
  • http://lenouveaucenacle.fr/les-vitraux-de-cocteau-son-dernier-chef-doeuvre
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l21S_t_6dx8
Jean Cocteau's Stained Glass Windows
68 Rue Mazelle
Metz, 57000
France
49.115704, 6.18372
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Statue of the Prophet Daniel on the Metz Cathedral

Metz, France

miles away

Gue(ho)st House

Delme, France

miles away

Europe 1 Transmitter

Überherrn, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 74

Nearby Places

Statue of the Prophet Daniel on the Metz Cathedral

Metz, France

miles away

Gue(ho)st House

Delme, France

miles away

Europe 1 Transmitter

Überherrn, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of France

France

Europe

Places 692
Stories 74

Related Places

  • Mainz, Germany

    The Chagall Windows of St. Stephan’s

    A famed artist's inspiring work of peace and tolerance.

  • Stained-glass window depicting Washington at prayer.

    King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

    Washington Memorial Chapel

    An eccentric priest's tribute to George Washington, this chapel tells the story of the American Revolution.

  • Wade Chapel altar and burials

    Cleveland, Ohio

    Wade Memorial Chapel

    Inside the unassuming cemetery chapel is a magnificent stained glass window and mosaics.

  • Danse Macabre stained glass.

    Lübeck, Germany

    Danse Macabre Stained Glass

    Dancing skeletal figures pay homage to a medieval mural destroyed during World War II.

  • The stained glass.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Magdalen Chapel

    The 16th-century church has the only stained glass windows that survived the Scottish Reformation intact.

  • Another one of the windows

    Manchester Township, New Jersey

    Cathedral of the Air

    Beautiful stained glass depictions of the history of human flight fill this surprising chapel.

  • Detail of a Chagall piece inside the church

    Sleepy Hollow, New York

    Chagall and Matisse Glass

    This tiny church near Sleepy Hollow contains Henri Matisse's last work, a rose window, and nine windows by Marc Chagall.

  • Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris Stained Glass Windows

    Birmingham, England

    Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris Stained Glass Windows

    A collection of windows created by two of the foremost leaders in the British Arts and Crafts Movement.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.