Two Monks Attending the Death of Saint Benoit (Saint Denis)

Monks Attending the
Dying Saint Benedict
Ile de France, before 1144
Stained glass
H. 0.60 m; W. 0.38 m
Saint Denis Church Abbey
Acq. 1958 ; Cl. 22758

The vertical inscription identifies the two monks as witnesses to Saint Benoit's ascension. This scene would go into a circular medallion; a part of the frame is visible in this panel. It was to be placed at the top of a window dedicated to the Saint's life. Saint Denis abbey was a Benedictine abbey governed by Benedictine rule. Very different in style from the other Saint Denis stained glass, this panel attests to the diversity of the origins of the artists who worked on the reconstruction of the abbey in the second quarter of the 12th century. It provides a precious example of the lofty ambition to complete this exceptional, monumental project, in which this pane held a place of choice. It conferred to the work a greater spiritual dimension by creating light effects to produce a powerful religious symbolism.