A splendid array of six near-life-size enthroned figures in stained glass from England's historic Canterbury Cathedral will be shown in the exhibition Radiant Light: Stained Glass from Canterbury Cathedral, opening February 25 at The Cloisters-a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. The brilliantly colored panels come from one of the great surviving series of medieval stained glass, and the exhibition represents the first time they have left the cathedral precincts since their creation in 1178-80.
The exhibition completes the celebration of the 75th-anniversary year of the founding of The Cloisters.The exhibition is made possible by the Ruddock Foundation for the Arts.Founded in 597, the cathedral is one of the oldest Christian structures in England. Thomas Becket-who is venerated as a saint and martyr both by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion-was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his martyrdom in 1170. He was canonized in 1173. After a severe fire in 1174, the cathedral was extensively rebuilt, and the ambitious series of stained glass windows-in which 86 ancestors of Christ are depicted-was created at this time. No expense was spared in executing this extensive cycle.Videos