We need your help.
Your support will help us explore the secrets of Chartres Cathedral’s stained-glass windows.
For more than 43 years, the International Stained-Glass museum’s mission has been to promote the art of stained glass around the world.
Too often reserved for stained-glass specialists because they are either too difficult to access or too complicated to interpret, the stories told by narrative stained-glass windows are little-known.
The idea of finding a simple way to transmit this richness was born.
Until now, there has been no solution that would allow us to do this.
Today, we have found tools with which we could achieve a worldwide first.
Our aim is to make these tools available to everyone. To achieve this, we need generous donors willing to help us carry out this project aiming at passing on this knowledge that is almost a thousand years old.
For centuries, the cathedral’s stained-glass windows have amazed visitors. We’ve forgotten how revolutionary they were when they were first made. Stained-glass windows let light through and tell stories. They are the screens of yesteryear, hence the name of the project: “From Case to Screen”.
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3 tools for Chartres Cathedral’s stained-glass windows.
The builders who revolutionized the art of construction in the 11th century gave master stained-glass artists the opportunity to express their skills. Stained glass then became a giant screen, using natural light to illustrate scenes from the Bible and life in the Middle Ages, while incorporating characters from everyday life.
Today, 21st-century screens are at the service of stained-glass windows and their mysteries.
But in this exceptional setting, there are many constraints:
- respect for a place of worship ;
- distance of stained-glass windows from visitors ;
- protection of the building ;
- impossibility of moving anything ;
- …
For these reasons, digital tools are the solution.
And the story can then be told in the future, thanks to :
- an artificial intelligence application ;
- an educational room ;
- an Open Source database.
Using an interactive map and a digital recognition scan mode, the application lets you view a stained-glass window with your smartphone camera. Each scene can be selected. Visitors will be provided with information on the representation and immersed in an immersive experience.
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Create a stained-glass encyclopedia in a room of the museum to give everyone access to the full range of knowledge about stained glass. Visitors and teachers will have access to educational boards with information on scenes from the Bible, life in the Middle Ages and stained-glass restoration.
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A database for anyone (researchers, academics, schools, museums, etc.) wishing to access the full range of information on stained glass. Comprising texts, photos and videos, its aim is to make almost forgotten knowledge accessible from a distance.
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Press coverage
- Aleteia : All the secrets of Chartres’ stained glass windows soon revealed on an app
- Actu.fr : Artificial intelligence at the heart of Chartres Cathedral’s stained-glass windows, a world first
- Echo Républicain : Stéphane Bern publishes a video in support of the Centre international du vitrail de Chartres
- Le Monde des artisans : “De l’Écrin à l’Écran”: an AI project to highlight Chartres Cathedral’s stained-glass windows
- Radio Notre Dame : Jean-Paul Deremble and Jean Touchard for the “De l’Ecrin à l’Ecran” project
- Club Innovation Culture : Chartres Cathedral and Centre International du Vitrail de Chartres seek to integrate artificial intelligence into new mediation and promotion tools
Stéphane Bern also sent us a warm message of support: