The Ascension Window in Le Mans Cathedral is rather lovely, but the guidebook told me that it was not simply another attractive piece of medieval stained glass. Dating from the beginning of the twelfth century, it is regarded as one of the oldest stained-glass windows still occupying its original place within a religious building, making it one of the most important surviving examples of early stained glass in France and indeed Europe. Only the two central sections of the original composition survive, showing the Virgin Mary and the Apostles watching Christ ascend into Heaven, although the figure of Christ itself has been lost. The window has therefore survived for roughly nine centuries while retaining enough of its original imagery to remain intelligible, which given the number of wars, arguments, drunken residents and the like is all really quite impressive.
Later abstract panels were added by Max Ingrand in 1956, allowing the medieval fragments to remain displayed as part of a complete window. The window is therefore not entirely medieval, but it is very much a survivor, preserving enough of its original imagery, colour and setting to give an impression of what the medieval worshippers would have seen. Given that I thought it was quite impressive, and I’ve visited Greggs so I know decadence, it must have been seen as really quite the thing at the time.