Tudeley

PHIL TUFNELLThis is Tudeley : a quaint English village in hop country near Tonbridge, in Kent.The church here houses a series of exquisite masterpieces, which would easily grace any of the finest museums in the world.This is the only church in the world with an entire set of stained-glass windows done by Russian artist, Marc Chagall.Between 1963 and 1978, Chagall replaced all the windows here in this tiny church. Pablo Picasso said Chagall was the only person to really understand colour, and in here, you can see why.And after Picasso, more prints of Chagall's work are sold than any other artist. When he died in 1985, crowds flocked to a major retrospective exhibition which confirmed Chagall as one of the true giants of modern art.In his later years, Chagall used stained-glass to paint with light on the vast canvasses of cathedrals, like this window in Metz in France, and others across Europe...So how did the work of one of the world's great artists come to be in this little church in Kent?PATRICIA DUNKIN WEDDHe came here as the result of a tragedy. A local landowner, a Jewish gentleman, Sir Harry DAvigdor-Goldsmid and his Christian wife had a twenty-one-year old daughter, Sarah, who died in a sailing accident.PHIL TUFNELLSarah had seen and loved Chagall's work in stained-glass; her mother was able to arrange a meeting thought an acquaintance.PATRICIA DUNKIN WEDDThere was immediate rapport between them. They were both a couple of flirts, really. And it was agreed that he would make a memorial window for Sarah. PHIL TUFNELLThe window was made in France and brought to Kent.And what happened after the first window was finished?PATRICIA DUNKIN WEDDChagall walked in the south door of the church and he said - before he even saw his window in situ - 'Ah! This is magnificent! I will do them all!'He had always wanted to fill a place of worship with his work.PHIL TUFNELLHow did one of the world's most famous Jewish artists come to do work in a Church of England church?PATRICIA DUNKIN WEDDHe liked the fact that this was a Jewish-Christian family, because he believed very much in the universality of faith; particularly the monotheistic faithsPHIL TUFNELLAnd how much are they worth? PATRICIA DUNKIN WEDD(laughs)You can't put a price on them! They're priceless!

PHIL TUFNELLThe memorial window remembers Sarah and her family; as well as trademark Chagall features such as the horse, representing happiness and innocent spirituality.The other windows are more abstract - but no less beautiful...And in stained glass Chagall found a medium that suited both his use of colour, and light.Blue represents love - and the church is full of it.The parish is obviously very keen to look after these unique windows.So they've called in the stained-glass experts: and they don't get any better than the experts from Canterbury Cathedral *How actually are these windows made?LEONIE SELIGERThey're actually made in a really, really traditional way: the same way as windows were made in the middle ages for the great cathedrals.So you would take a glass cutter and with a bit of pressure - not too much, but just enough to hear, 'the song of the diamond' - the French call itnd now you take the glass... (breaks it)PHIL TUFNELLOh! So how was the bird done, then?LEONIE SELIGERThis is a sort of two layer technique...where you've got a really thin wash of paint on the glass first... and once that's dry, you then put in the darker lines. And then you start scratching round in itPHIL TUFNELLOK. Scratch it!?LEONIE SELIGERYes! This is Chagall having a bit of fun: 'let's see what the light does, if I do this!' That's really his genius: to be able to manipulate the light that comes through the windows in such a way that it.becomes modulated and softer...more brilliant in placesPHIL TUFNELLWhat started in sorrow has turned into something really beautiful. A little piece of genius - hidden in the depths of Kent!