Maxime Dyga gives new life to the stained glass windows of Aniane Abbey

After their renovation, the stained glass windows are meticulously put back in place. Audrey Viste for the CCVH. – Audrey Viste for the CCVH.

Top left, the only stained glass window, and round of the building, the Oculus is made up of 200 pieces of glass. JM – JM

Each window has nearly 350 glass diamonds. Midi Libre – JEROME MOUILLOT

Each window has nearly 350 glass diamonds. Midi Libre – JEROME MOUILLOT

In Aniane, the know-how of stained glass makers is perpetuated within the Dyga family. After Jean-Pierre, who is now retired, Maxime took up the family torch and relaunched the workshop that was founded in 1985. The thirty-year-old now has the heavy and beautiful responsibility of giving a second life to the stained glass windows of the Aniane Abbey as part of the renovation of the building that has been underway since June 2024.

There is an enveloping serenity in the chapel of the Abbey of Aniane. On the wooden platform, a shadow stands out in the harsh light of a bare window. Like the eleven other openings in the building, it will soon find the stained glass windows that adorn it. A few hours before Christmas, the stained glass artist is still at work. Maxime Dyga, 38, is busy renovating the glass structures with as much happiness as conviction. Following in the footsteps of his father, Jean-Pierre, now retired, the thirty-year-old has relaunched the Dyga workshop. In the City of Benoît, this large-scale project offers a precious and useful field of expression for his art.

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“It is not a classical art medium like sculpture or painting”,he explains. The stained glass window highlights, illuminates….the light. The one that dresses, transforms, metamorphoses the interior decors according to the hours, the seasons, according to the nuances of the star of the day. In these places, the ornaments with old-fashioned charms were highlighted with a light and neutral glass that allowed ” to read the decors”. A philosophy preserved, in concert with the Drac, as part of the renovation. Because the site will also serve as an exhibition hall. On the walls, the works will then benefit from this unvarnished light.

More than 4,000 glasses in total

For someone who grew up in Benoît's city, it was important to contribute to the building of a “such an exceptional heritage, to contribute to restoring it. It is really satisfying to participate in this CCVH project”, he appreciates. When the building was bought in 2011, the roof had completely collapsed. Today it is rising from its ashes*, patiently, glass by glass. There are more than 4,000 in total. Each opening has nearly 350 pieces to clean or replace in the 19th century stained glass windows, half of which were broken or had disappeared. Before each operation, the stained glass windows are carefully removed. Then the reassembly imposes its rules, which are also meticulous. As for the oculus, the only multi-colored, round stained glass window in the building, it has some 200 pieces. A real puzzle that had to be reconstructed and each piece of glass was cleaned, recolored or even reconstructed. A goldsmith's work… Well, a stained glass artist.

 

A subscription is relaunched to support the effort, with the heritage foundation. www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/chapelle-abbaye-a-aniane/61260 I subscribe to read the rest