Built out of sight, on the road to Compostela, the chapel of Trolez, in Briec, dates from the 16th century. It is said that it was offered by King Gradlon to the abbey of Landévennec. Now desacralized, it has been the subject of a renovation carried out by volunteers since 1985. However, the restoration of the stained glass windows, in poor condition, could not be done for lack of means. They had, moreover, been vandalized in 2017. Their replacement has become urgent. This is where Yvon Daniel, painter and resident of Plougastel-Daoulas, and Valérie Salaün, stained glass artist (if for a man, the term master glassmaker is applied, that of stained glass artist is reserved for the fairer sex, Ed) in Lanildut , enter the scene.
“I must say that I annoy him, Yvon! »
Indeed, a modern stained glass project, designed by the painter, has received the approval of the diocesan commission for sacred art. Valérie Salaün, meanwhile, won the call for tenders launched for their lead installation. The meeting between the two protagonists took place in September 2022. And last month, Valérie Salaün deposited the transparent diamonds of the stained glass windows. Work on the “big boxes” is in progress.
For the work to be efficient and retain all the energy of the paintings, the boxes are used to think about the cutting of the glass to come.
“Based on Yvon’s models, I produce the full-size boxes for a precise reading in order to determine what happens next. It’s the first time I’ve worked with someone. Generally, I create my stained glass windows from A to Z. I think lead path, black lines, etc. And I must say that I annoy him, Yvon! He thinks like a painter. So, for the work to be efficient and retain all the energy of the paintings, the boxes are used to think about the cutting of the glass to come,” explains the stained glass artist.
“We must create a spiritual space”
The boxes of two of the five stained glass windows announced are enthroned in the painter’s studio. These are those that will be placed on the east side: “Stained glass is not a painting. Even in a deconsecrated building, it must transmit spirituality. Whether one is a believer or not, one must create a spiritual space. That’s why they will all have a title, unlike the tables. The distribution of the color will be done according to the day: blue gray in the north to go towards the reds and the gold in the south. Those of sunset and death”, evokes Yvon Daniel, who recognizes “a desire for vibrations that one does not necessarily find in contemporary stained glass”. He speaks with knowledge, he who has already made the stained glass windows of the Saint-Antoine chapel, in Guiscriff, in Morbihan, between 1998 and 2000.
Whether one is a believer or not, one must create a spiritual space. That’s why they will all have a title, unlike the tables.
For the duo, the work of each stained glass window will continue for several months between cutting and painting before heating and then lead glass. It should be completed by the end of June 2023. In the meantime, crowdfunding has been launched by the Heritage Foundation
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Financing link on the website,
Brest – A duo from the Pays de Brest at the bedside of the stained glass windows of a chapel in Briec