Stained glass panel depicting King Childebert and Saint Germanus. Originally from the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. French, c.1240-5.

In the centre of the panel is a male figure with a yellow crown. He is wearing a long green gown over which is a purple mantle fastened at the neck in the centre. He is sitting on a white and gold backless throne. His right hand is raised in gesture or greeting to a figure to his immediate right (on the left side of the panel as you face it). The figure is wearing chain mail which completely covers his legs, feet, arms but not his hands. His head is covered only by a chain mail coif; the face left uncovered. Over this he wears a surcoat of bright red.

In the top left of the panel there can be seen the top of a bishop's crozier in yellow glass. This would have formed part of an accompanying panel.

The two figures are enclosed in a pointed arch composed of flashed red glass and clear glass. The background is composed of lozenges of flashed red glass and clear glass, interspersed with blue glass. The right hand and bottom of the panel has a border of clear, flashed red and blue glass with blue rosettes in roundels.

There are other panels from Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the Metropolitan Museum (New York), Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore), Wilton Parish Church, Wiltshire and in Winchester College, Winchester.
In 1792 the abbey buildings were sold and by 1797 the Refrectory and the Chapter House had been destroyed. The Lady Chapel was destroyed by 1802.

Alexander Lenoir was given permission by the revolutionary government to remove monuments from churches. It is known that he removed stained glass from the churches of Saint-Denis, Ste Chapelle and from Saint-Germain-des-Prés. He organised an exhibition of these monuments in the closed-down monastery of the Petis-Augustins in Paris which was on display between 1796 and 1816. He had acquired 8 panels (16 quadrants) from the curé of Saint-Germain. He exhibited them in the ‘Musée’ and described them in two catalogues published in 1803 and 1810. He described this panel as depicting St. Louis IX seated on a throne and receiving a warrior and a bishop.

It is possible that this panel came into this country via John Christopher Hampp, Norwich art dealer. it is known that Hampp imported French glass via Tailleur who was Lenoir’s glass restorer.

The abbey church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés was originally dedicated to St. Vincent of Saragossa. St Vincent was a deacon of the early Christian church in Saragossa, Spain. Tradition holds that he was martyred in the early 4th century during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian.

Gregory (c.540-94), Bishop of Tours and chronicler of the early Frankish kingdom records that King Childebert founded the abbey at the instigation of Germanus, Bishop of Paris. Gregory says that Childebert and his brother Clothar were campaigning in Spain against the Visigoths and laid siege to the city of Saragossa. The citizens sought divine assistance by fasting, flagellation and processing through the streets holding the tunic of St. Vincent. Childebert was so impressed he lifted the siege and moved on, sparing the city. Gregory does not record that Childebert was given the tunic of St. Vincent. but a later account relates that Childebert had received the tunic from the citizens of Saragossa in exchange for lifting the siege on their city. This was recorded in a 10th century sermon for the feast of St Vincent in the church. At any rate, Germanus was able to persuade the King to finance the building of the abbey which was completed in 558 and in the same year Childebert died and was buried there. it was the burial place of the subsequent kings of the Merovingian dynasty until the death of Dagobert (d.638/9) who chose to be buried in his foundation of Saint-Denis.
In 1215, the abey church received another relic of St Vincent, part of his jawbone. It was a gift from the prince, the future King Louis VIII.
Undoubtedly this latter gift was the impetus for the rebuilding and reglazing in the abbey. By this time, the church had been rededicated to St. Germanus and the subsequent reglazing schemes included double windows of the Life and Relics of St Germanus as well as of the Life and Relics of St Vincent.

The Lady Chapel was situated parallel to the chevet of the abbey church, north east of the cloister. Glazing was likely to have been completed by 1247 when Abbot Hugh d'Issy was buried there, or by 1255 when an election was held in the chapel.

This panel is from the window depicting scenes from the Life of St Germanus. It originally was part of a scene in which Bishop Germanus is trying to persuade King Childebert to build the abbey. You can just see the top of the Bishop's crozier in the top left of this panel. The other panel no longer survives but a watercolour was made of it in the 19th century and is in the Musée Carnavalet in Paris.

Originally part of the hemicycle glazing of the Great Chapel of the Virgin (Lady Chapel) (1244-1255) of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris.

The abbey church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris was originally dedicated to St Vincent of Saragossa. It was later rededicated to St Vincent and St Germanus (St Germain). St Germanus (about 496–576) was Bishop of Paris. He is credited with being a moderating figure on the Merovingians, the early Kings of the Franks.

Gregory (about 540–94), Bishop of Tours and chronicler of the early Frankish kingdom, records that King Childebert (reigned 511–58) founded the abbey at the instigation of Germanus.It was completed in 558. In the same year Childebert died and was buried there. The church was the burial place of the subsequent Merovingian kings until the death of Dagobert in 638/9. He chose to be buried in his foundation of Saint-Denis, near Paris. A later account from the church records states that Childebert was given a relic of St Vincent, a deacon in the Spanish city of Saragossa, who died about 304. The future Louis VIII of France gave another relic of St Vincent, his jawbone, in 1215.

Undoubtedly this latter gift was the impetus for the rebuilding and re-glazing in the abbey. By this time, the church had been re-dedicated to St Germanus. The subsequent re-glazing schemes included double windows of the Life and Relics of St Germanus, as well as of the Life and Relics of St Vincent.

This panel is from the window depicting scenes from the life of St Germanus. Originally, it was part of a scene in which Bishop Germanus is trying to persuade King Childebert to build the abbey. You can just see the top of the Bishop’s crosier in the top left of this panel. The other panel no longer survives, but a watercolour was made of it in the 19th century and is in the Musée Carnavalet in Paris.

5461-1858