Stained Glass Windows by Gerhard Richter and Mahbuba Elham Maqsoodi, St. Mauritius Abbey Church, Tholey

The highlight in the abbey. The organ is also beautiful to look at. Due to the restoration of the church, that certain old charm that I love so much in churches is missing. Well worth a visit if you're in the area!

The three windows in the chancel are by Gerhard Richter. They represent nothing, but are only patterned. Very pleasant counterbalance to the fear and violence portrayed by the others. The middle Richter window only emits golden light into the room. This is the real "good news".

The windows from the 1960s were designed by the Tholey monk Bonifazius Robert Köck. In view of the dilapidated state of the church windows, the convent decided to announce an international art competition. The winner of the anonymous competition was the artist Mahbuba Elham Maqsoodi. She created a total of 29 windows. Her competition designs for the Abbey Church of St. Mauritius convinced the convent from the outset with their strong artistic statement. They depict themes and influential figures from the Old and New Testaments.
The artist Mahbuba Elham Maqsoodi comes from Afghanistan, where she completed training in Persian miniature painting. She then studied at the famous St. Petersburg Academy of Art. After graduating, the civil war prevented her from returning home. In 1994, she and her family were granted political asylum in Germany, where she has worked as a freelance artist ever since.
The world-famous artist Gerhard Richter designed three windows in the choir of the abbey church. Each of the 1.95 by 9.30 m high windows shows five motifs that are repeated in mirrored form. They are playful, colorful patterns with plenty of room for imagination. Richter developed the patterns on the basis of an abstract image by repeatedly dividing and mirroring. The motifs come from his artist's book "Patterns".
Gerhard Richter (* February 9, 1932 in Dresden) is a German painter, sculptor and photographer. He was professor of painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1971 to 1993. His works are among the most expensive by a living artist on the art market.
Source: tholey.de/die-fenster