Cathedral
of St. Michael and St. Gudula

The Stained Glass Window of the Last Judgment

Description :

Above the main entrance is the stained glass window of the Last Judgment. This is a 16th-century stained glass window, dating from 1528. This window is unique in the world for its size and its location at the very entrance of the building. It represents the Last Judgment.

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You can see three colour segments: emerald green for the lower part, blue azure for the central part, and golden yellow for the upper part.
In the green segment, the colour of Hope, on the left you can see men emerging from tombs rising from the ground. They have hopeful looks and their faces are turned upwards (some of them are already floating in the blue aerial part): these are the repentant sinners. They are depicted naked because all men are equal before the Lord. The characters on the right, on the other hand, have expressions of fear. They look downwards: these are the damned. They are condemned to end up in a sea of flames (the green dragon represents the devil).
At the bottom of the stained glass window, in the centre, is the generous donor of this work of art, the Prince-Bishop of Liège: Erard de la Marck, in a red velvet cloak. Behind him, an angel in blue attire holds a sceptre in each hand, one for the office of prince and the other for that of bishop. The allegorical figure with long blond hair standing in front of him and looking towards Christ, who is at the top on a rainbow, represents one of the three theological virtues, Faith.
In the blue segment, the colour of the sky, the central figure, in armour, who is swinging his sword, with his left foot on a winged head, and holding a weighing-scales between his teeth, is the archangel Saint Michael. The scales refer to one of the names given to Saint Michael: the weigher of souls. He is the one who, based on the respective weight of our merits and sins, will decide where we will be sent, to hell or to heaven.
On the sides, four angels play trumpets, in accordance with the prophecy in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. It is at the sound of the trumpet that the tombs will open and the dead will rise.
In the yellow segment, which suggests eternal glory, we see Christ exercising his function as the supreme judge. Christ, seated on a rainbow, is surrounded by the apostles. The rainbow is the symbol of the covenant between God and men and refers to the end of time when Christ will return, as he promised, to judge “the living and the dead.” The Virgin Mary is depicted on the far left. She intercedes for us. Let us remember that Mary enjoys immense devotion among Christians. She is recognized as a sign of hope and consolation.
On the other side, we can see Saint John the Baptist, who points to Christ, as it is written in the Bible: “Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi” meaning “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” In the upper field (pointed shape), you can see in the centre a circle with the veil with which Saint Veronica, according to legend, wiped the face of Christ. The instruments of Christ’s passion, who died on the cross, are also depicted.
The cross is represented below the veil, and in a triangle two panels lower down, there are three nails. The sun and the moon, next to the veil, refer to the solar and lunar eclipse that occurred when Jesus died on the cross.

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