21/11/2026 – 15:00 – Lecture by Ms Diane de Crombrugghe – ‘J.-B. Capronnier, an exceptional master glassmaker, at work in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula from 1839 to 1880’

Photo showing a detail of the upper part of the stained glass window created by J.-B. Capronnier, ‘The Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament’ – Angels in Adoration – 1848

Saturday, 21 November 2026 (in French)

Speaker: Ms Diane de Crombrugghe (Art historian).

Title: “J.-B. Capronnier, an exceptional master glassmaker, at work in the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula from 1839 to 1880”.

Based on the stained glass windows of the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula and related archival documents, the lecture aims to highlight the special place occupied by the 19th century in the history of stained glass and, in this context, to trace the work of J.-B. Capronnier (1814-1891), an internationally renowned master glassmaker who left his mark on the building.

J.-B. Capronnier created 38 stained glass windows based on his own designs or those of well-known Belgian and French painters. This collection, which has remained virtually intact, offers a magnificent overview of the workshop’s output, which itself reflects the art of its time.

He was also entrusted with restoring the building’s ancient stained glass windows, which had been neglected for far too long. He carried out the task with the utmost seriousness, in keeping with the philosophy of the time, seeking above all to restore the stained glass windows’ legibility.

Free admission