The Chapel's stained glass windows
The stained glass windows are the work of Marie-Josèphe GUEVEL, who won the 1989 International Stained Glass Prize in Chartres.
Thematic design: an explanatory description...
Sacred art aims to open the heart and mind to transcendence and immanence.
Thematic design :
- Generally speaking, the right-hand side of the chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Rita: the dominant color is blue. The left-hand side is dedicated to Jesus Christ, and the dominant color is traditionally red and gold.
- To the right of the altar are the 3 stained-glass windows depicting Saint Rita and the Virgin Birth (the smallest).
- As if in a protective mantle, the blue and mauve volutes envelop and irradiate the statue of Saint Rita with the tender lights of kindness and compassion. The red spots symbolize the saint's sufferings: the blood on her forehead, as it rises to God, is transformed into roses, that is, into graces for us. These roses also symbolize the Virgin Mary, and in the 4th window they are transformed into "Rosa mystica", the perfect flower, symbolizing Mary. In contrast to the strong colors of the lower windows, the upper windows are illuminated in the colors of Christ, in indentations, a symbol of hope for those who, in despair, pray to Saint Rita.
These windows are particularly designed to inspire prayer and meditation. They are gateways to the spiritual world, to be entered slowly. Like music, it’s the right tuning of the tones, the exact placement of the harmonic line, that moves the viewer beyond anything that first-level symbolism can convey. The same applies to all the chapel’s stained-glass windows.
- At the back of the chapel, in the porch, the coat of arms of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, in gold and yellow, the colors of Christ, stand out against a blue starry background, the symbol of the Virgin.
The Oblate coat of arms dates back to around 1840. The Marian initials include an M (Marie), the upper part of which flares out into a V (Vierge), surrounded by an O (Oblats). In the center, the small upward point corresponds to the symmetrical point of the downward point; we can also read an A, the second letter of Mary: for it was customary in antiquity to make abbreviations with the first two letters of the name (see, for example, the “khi-rho”, XP, for Christ). In Christian art, the intertwined A and M are also the initials of the Ave Maria (“Hail Mary”).“Hail Mary in Latin). In Latin, O.M.V. stands for “Oblates of the Virgin Mary”. The motto “Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca”: “Think of Mary, invoke Mary” comes from St. Bernard (Sup. Missus est 2,17). The crown of twelve stars comes from the Apocalypse: “Then a great sign appeared in Heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Apoc. 12:1). This crown has been attributed to the Virgin Mary since time immemorial, and appears on the medal that Mary herself asked Saint Catherine Labouré for in 1830, during the apparitions in the Rue du Bac in Paris.
- The top of the porch doors represents the glory of God extending to the cosmos, to the entire universe.
- At the far left of the chapel, the Annunciation represents the fertilization of our material world by the Spirit of God. The composition is both biological and cosmic in form... at once embryo and galaxy for this dynamic spiral form. Yellow symbolizes the Holy Spirit, gray, matter.
- The three stained-glass windows on the left are dedicated to Pentecost. These windows represent the light of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus Christ to his apostles and, by extension, to us all. The flames are not just arrows placed on their heads, symbolized by the twisted design, but also our inner illumination by the Holy Spirit.
These stained glass windows must therefore give the impression of a diffuse, penetrating radiance: the Holy Spirit must be inside us, not outside us. The upper part of the windows, luminous and golden, symbolizes God, the divine light, while the darker lower part represents man.
The design also recalls wheat, the harvest, God’s harvest. Pentecost was celebrated by the Jews at harvest time.
- The three large stained-glass windows in the left choir have the Resurrection as their theme .
- Key stained glass windows, since the Church is the Church of the Risen Christ.
- These stained-glass windows had to shine with the light of Jesus Christ, who illuminates us all. We see the cross , but above all the dazzling spiritual light of the risen Christ, given by crystal blocks cut into the mass, pushing to the sides the elements of matter: rocks, pebbles, dead flesh and all that is lifeless in us. The darker part at the bottom shows that the history of the world changed after Christ's coming and resurrection, with light opposing shadow.
- The stained-glass window illuminates the altar with its warm, reassuring light. It is conceived as a symphony rising from earth to heaven.
- The rhythm of the design draws the eye from the earthly bottom to the celestial top, which illuminates the altar , recalling Christ's words as recounted by St. Matthew: "I am with you always, to the end of the age".
Soutenez votre sanctuaire
Votre soutien nous aide à poursuivre les différentes activités de ce lieu de sanctuaire.
Contribution à la Messe
Demandez au Sanctuaire de Sainte Rita une messe pour vos intentions, commémorant l’Eucharistie et la présence du Christ.
Allumer un cierge
Des cierges brûlent sans cesse , symbolisant nos prières et remerciements pour que nos vies deviennent lumière.
Intention de prière
Sainte Rita, Saine patronne des causes perdues, accueille vos intentions et remerciements, et que la charité fraternelle renforce notre prière.