Lalique was a neighbour in the South of France of Florence Boot, Lady Trent, the widow of Jesse Boot, founder of the British chemists' chain. Lady Trent's money and Lalique's extraordinary skill with glass were to combine to create a fitting memorial to her late husband, creating unique fixtures and fittings for the church which stands across the road from her principal residence, Villa Millbrook.
The glass front doors are a clue, but only a small clue to what lies beyond them, fantastic glass creations started by Lalique between 1932 and 1934, which have made the church famous throughout the world as The Glass Church.
Opalescent panels, a magnificent altar cross, a glass font – probably unique – the Jersey lily motif, and wonderful Art Deco angels make the church a peerless treasure.
The oak pews, pulpit and lectern, were created by Jersey architect A B Grayson.
History
From the church website
St Matthew’s started life in the 1840s as a modest chapel of ease, built at the foot of Mont Felard to spare parishioners the long uphill trek to the ancient Parish Church of St Lawrence. Over the next century the hamlet of Millbrook flourished, from the coming of the Jersey Railway to the age when seaplanes landed in St Aubin’s Bay.
A generous gift changed everything. Millbrook resident Florence Boot decided to honour her late husband Jesse, the founder of Boots the Chemist, by rebuilding the church in his memory. Alongside St Matthew’s, she gifted the beautiful Coronation Park to the people of Jersey. She conjured the talents of René Lalique, artisan extraordinaire and the foremost glassmaker of the age, to decorate the entire church with his finest work. No similar Lalique commission survives anywhere else in the world.
In September 1934, St Matthew’s became the Glass Church. Two frosted glass angels set in the double doors welcome visitors to this astonishing work of art. The centrepiece is a shining, towering cross over three metres high, festooned with lilies and soaring over the altar. It is flanked by twin illuminated pillars and framed by four glass screens that shimmer like a wall of ice.
In the Lady Chapel, four immense crystalline angels, illuminated as if by heavenly fire, survey the worshippers. Their eyes are clear and wide, seemingly transfixed by the light that shines in the darkness, calling them home. The font is a marvel, forged in pure glass and autographed by Lalique himself. The iconic Jersey lily, a motif of purity, adorns everything. The subdued stonework of local architect A.B. Grayson beautifully complements Lalique’s work, providing an exquisitely pure canvas to magnify the power of light.
“Lalique’s glass has the ethereal brilliance of Arctic ice”, wrote a contemporary critic. This verdict still holds true 80 years after the miracle of Millbrook was first bequeathed to the people of Jersey.
Links
Picture gallery
Click on image to see larger picture
The church in the 1930s
1930s
The church doors
St Matthew's Church in the left foreground of a mid-19th century drawing by Philip Ouless
The Lalique glass screen and altar
Close-up of the glass screen behind the altar
The church's chancel
An alcove
The cross above the alter
Close-up of figures
Close-up of figures
Close-up of figures
Close-up of figures
Close-up of figures
Church.jpg)
Close-up of figures
The font
The font
The font
The entrance to the church
Inside the church
The church interior
Even a simple door has a glass insert
An old postcard view of the church
The church organ and choir stalls
A plaque commemorating the benefactor
Screen
Screen
The exterior of the church today
A wall light
Windows from outside
The church in the 1960s
The Lady Chapel
The Lady Chapel
Font
Font
Font
Lady Chapel
Lady Chapel
St Matthew's Church in the left foreground of a mid-19th century drawing by Philip Ouless
Large numbers of coaches took visitors to the church during the peak of the island's tourist industry
The original vicarage garden
