Bellefontaine Abbey

Bellefontaine, France

In 2015, the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Bellefontaine asked Fleur Nabert to create a series of stained glass windows overlooking their refectory on one side and the cloister on the other. The chosen theme was that of water after the motto of the abbey : “its waters are faithful”.

Stained glass work

The artist then proposed a creation in thermoformed glass rather than a classic stained glass window with leads. On a bed of very fine plaster, she sculpted by hand. Then she put above it a very thick plate of glass, standing on wedges all around but without any direct contact to avoid the sculpture to collapse. It will melt down in the sculpture, extremely slowly and without distorting the drawing. After cooling, the glass becomes a three dimensional sculpture in a single piece.

Here , the glass was chosen colorless because thermoforming adorns the glass with very different reflections of light , depending on the time of the day. The three stained-glass windows share the theme of living water, that will quench any thirst. A great cool wave rushes from one bay to another to burst on the door of the refectory. This creation has been produced with the assistance of the Loire studio in Chartres.

A bronze sculpture

Within the refectory sits a bronze sculpture. It represents the pilgrims of Emmaus taking this meal which fulfills all hunger in the recognition of the Risen Christ.