A hidden Chagall masterpiece in Kent

The extraordinary stained-glass windows of All Saints Church

Imagine discovering that one of the most famous and internationally recognised artists of the 20th Century has an extraordinary art display just five minutes from your home.

So when a good friend revealed that this very opportunity was on my doorstep - tucked away down a country lane, in a humble church surrounded by apple orchards and hop farms, I nearly let it pass me by. Yet, as curiosity often does, it nudged me to visit on a quiet weekend, and I am profoundly grateful I did.

I was humbled to realise how little I knew about Chagall - an artist whose legacy is nothing short of iconic. By the 1920s, he was celebrated in Paris, Berlin, and New York, exhibiting alongside legends like Picasso, Matisse, and Kandinsky. His art graced the walls of the Louvre, a rare honour for any artist of his era, as well as the MoMA in New York and the Tate in London.

So, I am sure you are thinking: why is his art on display down a country lane in a church in Kent? Sadly, it’s a moving memorial linked to a tragic story.

In 1963, Sir Henry and Lady Rosemary d’Avigdor-Goldsmid lost their daughter. Sarah, who was 21 at the time, died in a sailing accident off the coast of Rye, Sussex. They wanted a fitting artistic tribute in their local parish church.

Lady Rosemary had encountered Chagall’s work in Paris and commissioned him to design a single stained-glass window for the church. After the East window was installed, Chagall was captivated by the building’s simple architecture and the way the light fell on the space, and and went on to design all twelve windows.

All Saints Church is the only church in the world whose windows were all designed by Chagall. Pilgrims of art, travel from far and wide from over the world to experience this hidden masterpiece - yet for me, it sits quietly, just minutes away.

When you enter the church, you are instantly drawn to the radiance of the blue hues of the stained glass window hanging over the altar on the east wall. Look closer, and the drama unfolds: a young girl, drowned in the dark swirling waters of the sea. To the left, her mother cradles her two young children, while on the other side, a kneeling figure expresses the family’s grief. A ladder reaches up to the figure of Christ, where an angel is waiting.

It takes a moment to realise that the church’s beauty lies in its modesty. It’s a simple space with basic architecture with no elaborate carvings or grand monuments. The simplicity allows the art of the stained glass windows to shine with luminosity, flooding the nave with glorious golden yellow tones to the deep blues in the north aisle.

The remaining 11 windows are symbolic to the bible - birds, flowers, floating figures, flying angels, harps, butterfly wings, saints, insects and whimsical human faces.

While working on the windows, Lady Rosemary took Chagall to a pub called the Startled Saint in West Malling. Chagall was so taken with the pub’s sign that it gave him the inspiration to incorporate the saint’s pose into one of the windows shown below.

Visiting Chagall’s luminous windows was an unexpected gift - one that awakened my creativity and inspired me to design my own stained-glass feature at home. Sometimes, the most extraordinary sparks of inspiration are waiting just around the corner if we seek them out.