Hand-crafted in the beautiful harbour village of St Aubin in the island of Jersey, this piece is from the Arcane collection.

Vitrail-ArcaneTrilogy is a collection of three of the pieces inspired by the stained glass windows in Rennes le Château, the crypt of Rosslyn Chapel and Kilmore Church (also available individually).

Mounted in a wooden oak finish frame measuring 35.1cm x 17.3cm. This one is best seen for its iridescent sparkle!

Background Information

Rennes le Château

Rennes le Château is a small village and commune in the Aude department in Languedoc, southern France. It overlooks the valley of the River Salz, opposite a Cathar Castle called Coustaussa. The population of Rennes le Château is less than 100.

This tiny village is at the centre of various conspiracy theories and receives over 100,000 visitors per year.

In the 1950s, a local restaurant owner, in order to increase business, spread rumours of hidden treasure found by a 19th century priest. The story achieved national fame in France, and was expanded by others who claimed that the priest, Abbé Bérenger Saunière, had found proof of a secret society known as the Priory of Sion. The story became the origin for hypotheses in documentaries and bestselling books such as The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982) and the fiction book and movie The Da Vinci Code (2003).

The image of the church window interior is ©Jack R Johanson

Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel, also known as St Matthew's Collegiate Church, was founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair, the last Prince of Orkney and Lord of Rosslyn Castle. It was heavily damaged in 1592 and restored in 1861. The main feature of the extraordinary building is the intricate and elaborate carvings that adorn every surface.

Since the late 1980s, the chapel has been the subject of speculative theories concerning a connection with the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail, and Freemasonry. It was prominently featured in the fictional book and movie “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown.

The interior picture showing the window is a scene from the Da Vinci Code movie, which was filmed on location at Rosslyn Chapel.

Kilmore Church

Kilmore’s Church of Mary was built in 1905 on an earlier religious site and is well known for its “pencil tower” similar to those seen in Ireland. The church was renovated in 2004-2005 and is well worth a visit if you are in Mull.

Inside Kilmore Church are seven very striking stained glass windows, one of which reveals a remarkable symbolism. Dating from 1906, one year after the construction of the church, the windows were produced by Stephen Adam. This window shows a young man portrayed with the usual features attributed to Jesus with a halo above his head, holding hands with a woman without a halo. The woman is portrayed as pregnant with her girdle painted below her abdomen rather than around her waist. The key to the identity of this woman is made plain by the gospel text immediately below the pregnant woman. It reads: “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her“. This statement, made by Christ himself, which relates to Mary of Bethany who is often identified with Mary Magdalene.

For more information:

• View the individual piece Vitrail-RenneLeChâteau which also includes information about Rennes le Château

• View the individual piece Vitrail-RosslynChapel which also includes information about Rosslyn Chapel

• View the individual piece Vitrail-KilmoreChurch which also includes information about Kilmore Church

• Da Vinci Code book (novel)

• Da Vinci Code movie (starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou)

• The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail book by Henry Lincoln, Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh

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