News

A rediscovered stained glass

One of the works of the generalate community is the archives of the Institute.  Brother Tomás López Lambán works to ensure the best preservation and understanding of the history of the Institute.

Last year, Brother Tomás spent a month in France looking at how to bring a substantial part of the archives of France to Rome.  In the course of that effort, he discovered a number of historic art pieces that have not been seen in a while.  One is a stained-glass window that contains the modern escutcheon surrounded by thistle flowers.

The window was once part of the entrance to the chapel of the St Louis school on the Croix-Rousse in Lyon.  The window was removed during renovations creating Maison Coindre. It was the middle of a group of three and depicts the modern blazon (after 1890) surrounded by all these otherwise beautiful prickly plants. This image was sometimes called the thistle coat of arms. It was probably part of work completed under the direction of Brother Frumence.

Working with the workshop of Arte Poli in Verona, the stained glass was cleaned, a broken piece repaired and two other missing pieces remade.  Then the whole window was re-leaded and presented in a dark wooden frame, lit by LED.  We look forward to this part of our history gracing the general house in the near future.