The Windows by Charles Marq

Genesis: Charles Marc (1923-2006), the senior partner of the studio Jacques Simon in Reims with whom Marc Chagall joined a 28-year cooperation and a deep friendship, created three subsequent windows in the North and South aisles of St. Stephen's Church. All close-up windows have serving character. They shall lead to the altar, and thus towards the Chagall windows. On February 25, 1989, the window subsequent to the Northern transept, a three-track-window, and on February 17, 1990, right in time for the millennium celebrations of St. Stephen's, the two four-track-windows in the middle and above the doorway in the North aisle were completed.
On July 10, 1993, the three windows in the South aisle could be received.
Since September 16, 1995, they are joined by the two windows in the baptistry. With God's Spirit (dove) in the round window, the 'Waters of Salvation' and the 'Gifts of the Spirit' (red droplets) in the tracery windows, the windows of Charles Marq were created to express the mystery of baptism.

Even the small cross in the portal received an appropriate stained glass.

On September 27, 1997, the windows for the West side with the theme of "Pentecost", the opposite of the Chagall windows in the East choir, and the two oval windows under the former organ loft of the church were given over to the parish community.
On September 17, 2000, the four two-lane-windows on the North and South sides, and the two oval windows on the North side could be handed over.

With these windows installed in the church throughout 22 years, the church presents a rarely successful homogeneity and harmony is achieved. Common to all of the windows is the blue colour, suggestive to the mystery of the invisible God.
When the nine windows in the East apse and the transept with 177.6 square meters, are the largest and last work of art in glass by Marc Chagall in one place in the world, then after 19 subsequent windows by Charles Marq (213.15 sqm) the window ensemble with a total of 390.75 sqm is the largest that was created by the studio of Jacques Simon, Reims, for a church.

(Text by Monsignore Klaus Mayer, quoted from the "Der Kleine Kunstführer zu St. Stephan in Mainz", Publishing House Schnell & Steiner, 16th revised edition 2012)

English Translation: Reinhard Goebel, 2014