Stunning stained glass by Chagall: hidden gem in a quiet Kent church

The most unlikely and magical sight awaits you in the parish church of All Saints, Tudeley – a tiny hamlet around 3 miles from Tonbridge in the Weald of Kent. Despite being tucked away in a quiet country lane, it is the only church in the world to have all of its twelve windows decorated by the renowned artist Marc Chagall, who died forty years ago today, on 28 March 1985, at his home in Provence, France, aged 97.

All Saints Tudeley is a truly remarkable place - modest and unassuming from the outside, but once you step inside, it is breathtaking, with the light streaming in through the stunningly beautiful stained glass. The story behind these vibrant, colourful windows is tinged with sadness, but also hope, serenity and resilience.

Chagall was Russian-born but later became a French citizen. He was an early modernist, described by the art critic Robert Hughes as “the quintessential Jewish artist of the 20th Century”.  Chagall was especially known for his use of colour, and in his later life, he became particularly associated with creating stained glass, including one artwork entitled “Peace” at the United Nations building in New York.

Chagall was initially commissioned to create a memorial window in All Saints, Tudeley, to a young local woman named Sarah d'Avigdor-Goldsmid, who died in 1963 in a sailing accident at the age of 21. Sarah had admired contemporary art, and had been enthralled by Chagall’s stained-glass designs on display at the Louvre in Paris. Her parents commissioned the east window at the church in her memory. Chagall was an appropriate choice as a Jewish artist who often incorporated Christianity in his work, as Sarah was the daughter of a Jewish father and Christian mother. It is said that Chagall was initially reluctant to take on the project, but he was eventually persuaded to do it. When he visited for the dedication of the completed east window in 1967, and saw the church for the first time, he exclaimed, “It is magnificent! I will do them all!”

The east window at All Saints Tudeley, designed by Marc Chagall

Over the next ten years, Chagall designed the other eleven windows, with the last one being installed shortly before his death in 1985. One of the best features is that they are positioned at eye level, so it is possible to go right up to them and see the marks and scratches made by Chagall himself.

The only other Chagall glass in Britain is in Chichester Cathedral, West Sussex which he designed and created at the age of 90. It is based on Psalm 150 “'Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord', and features the musical instruments mentioned in the psalm, and a number of birds and animals. It was his last commissioned work.

Chagall said, “For me a stained glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world. It is something elevating and exhilarating. It has to live through the perception of light.”

The church can be visited as part of a tour around the beautiful Weald of Kent. Visit hereandtherewithclaire.co.uk for inspiration, and get in touch to discuss your needs.