I recently visited the church in Cholet, France. It is an impressive building overlooking the main square in the centre of the town. It is a traditional design of building with a semi-circular Apse, flying buttresses and twin steeples at the West End. From the outside it looks dark and forbidding, but going inside is a revelation. Inside it has a light, white finish which takes away from the heaviness of the building. This, however only acts as a foil to the amazing use of natural light in the building.
What strikes you immediately on entering are to dramatic stained glass windows around the Apse and in the Transepts. These are balanced by the clear glass windows along the Clerestory of the Nave. What you notice, primarily, in the interior is the dramatic splashes of colour hitting the piers and the floor. Only after a while do you realise these are seen in the context of a brightly lit interior. It is this balance which is so effective.
It is common to see dramatic stained glass windows in the context of a naturally dark interior, for example in Durham Cathedral. In Cholet the colour has an abundance of light as its background. Your eye is constantly drawn upwards in wonder at the splashes of colour decorating the interior. When I saw it, it was a semi-cloudy day, I can only wonder at the effect on a bright, clear sunny day. It was such a pleasure to view this church.
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