Overview
- The Simon‑Marq workshop in Reims reports the six windows are about 70% complete as of late July 2026 and expects fabrication to finish by September.
- Installation of the 7‑metre high bays is planned for the cathedral this autumn and the public unveiling is scheduled for December.
- The commission will replace six 1864 stained‑glass bays that were not damaged in the 2019 fire, a decision that has generated sharp public debate over interventions in historic monuments.
- Artisan leaders say they are combining medieval materials and processes with modern casting techniques to create relief and scale, and roughly fifteen glassmakers are working on the project.
- Simon‑Marq, founded in 1640 and rescued from liquidation in 2019 by investors including Pierre‑Emmanuel Taittinger and Philippe Varin, positions the commission as both a revival of the workshop and a state‑funded cultural intervention.