Faith

Sarah's Window at All Saint's Church

The story behind how a small village church in Tudeley, near Tonbridge, became a showcase for the work of one of the 20th Century's greatest artists is a sad one.

The D'Avigdor-Goldsmid family were wealthy landowners who had lived in the area for generations.

Lady Rosemary and her two daughters were Anglicans, and worshipped at the village church, Sir Henry was a Jew. In 1963, the couple's daughter Sarah, drowned in a sailing accident off Rye, aged 21.

Her parents wanted to create a permanent memorial to Sarah, something that would reflect her personality, and their faiths.

Window in south chancel wall

Two years before she died,  Sarah and her mother had visited Paris and both were fascinated by an exhibition at the Louvre of Marc Chagall's windows for the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem.

Chagall was Jewish too, so Sir Henry approached him and asked him to create a window in the local church in Sarah's memory.

Chagall only started working in glass in his 70s, but he rose to the challenge.

Originally the plan was only for the main window in the nave of the church to be painted, but when Chagall arrived and found that all the windows were plain glass, he painted every one.

Window in south wall of nave

It took him 15 years to complete the project, working from his studio in France, and the final window was installed in 1985, the year Chagall died at the age of 98.

The church is the only one in the world where all the windows are painted by Chagall, and the only other Chagall window in Britain is at Chichester Cathedral.

The village is also believed to be the only place in the world where Chagall's work is on display alongside that of another famous 20th century artist, Rolf Harris.

The Australian TV personality visited Tudeley in 2003 for his series Rolf on Art. He created a stained glass window in the style of Chagall which now sits proudly in the village hall.

Window in south east wall of chancel

All Saint's Church in Tudeley is now famous all over the world and thousands of visitors pass through it's narrow doorway every year.

Many are religious pilgrims, wishing to worship in a unique setting, others are art lovers keen to see work in context, rather than in a museum, while some just come to think and reflect.

Whatever the reason for their visit, all leave feeling that they have witnessed something special, and that one family's tragic loss has left a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.