After 200 years, the panels are back at the historic site they were made for. Between 1635 and 1644, the Leuven master-glazier Mr Jan de Caumont made a total of 41 stained-glass windows. After the French Revolution, the Norbertine monks ran into money problems and sold their stained-glass windows. These not only became scattered all over the world, but were also fragmented in different panels.”
“Six middle panels were already back in the abbey,” says Jan Mertens, director of Park Abbey Heritage site. “After much searching, fourteen other panels have been returned to Leuven in recent years. The middle panels each depict a scene from the life of Norbert, the founder of the order.”
Exceptional collection
This is a very exceptional collection. These twenty middle panels have survived revolutions and world wars and are still intact today. That is why, since 2018, the collection of stained-glass windows and the accompanying design drawings have been recognised as Flemish masterpieces. The city of Leuven was an important glass production centre. Jan de Caumont, the official glass painter of Leuven, worked from there on commissions throughout the Duchy of Brabant.
For the public
Walking through the cloister, the public can admire the magnificent colours of the stained-glass panels.
