by Janis / 0 comments - Orginally published:5th May 2026
A tale only to be found in All Saints’ Church, Tudeley
Wow, who would have thought that the only church in the world to have all its stained-glass windows designed by the famous Russian modernist artist, Marc Chagall, was in Tudeley, Kent?
It’s incredible; when you step inside All Saints’ Church, you just have to stop and stand in awe at the magnificent windows, watching how the shimmering light reflects through.
This unique little church is to be found in the peaceful, sleepy village of Tudeley, Kent, which is just around 7 miles from Royal Tunbridge Wells and worlds apart from Chagall’s early life in Vitebsk, Russia.
We had heard about these exceptional Chagall stained-glass windows a while ago and it completely slipped my mind to investigate further. However, it was only when chatting to a German tourist while we were visiting the National Trust site of Petworth House in West Sussex, that she reignited my memory of Chagall, as she had just visited it herself that day.
Why not Pin it for later?
So, yes, when we were heading back home to Kent that day, we sought out All Saints’ Church in Tudeley.
Where is All Saints’ Church, Tudeley ?
How to get to All Saints’ Church, Tudeley
All Saints’ Church postcode is TN11 0NZ or you can find it by using What3words ///bumps.hopes.stay
- By Train
The nearest train station to Tudeley is Tonbridge, which is 2½ miles away. There are normally plenty of taxis waiting at Tonbridge Station. It is possible to catch the 205 bus service, which stops at the church and takes around 10 minutes or also walk.
- By Car
All Saints’ Church is found along a side road just off Five Oak Green Road (B2017). A car park is located next to the church.
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A little history on All Saints’ Church
From the Normans to ChagallAll Saints’ Church in Tudeley has very early origins, with a place of worship on the site dating back to the 7th century, making it one of the oldest churches in the Weald of Kent. Parts of the current building, such as the sandstone footings, possibly pre-date the Norman Conquest. This delightful church is also recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
All Saints’ Church
Most of the structure seen today dates from the 13th – 14th centuries, with significant rebuilding in the 18th century and Victorian additions in the 19th century.
Window 1, Eve offering Adam the forbidden fruit
It was then, in more recent times that the church gained international fame when artist Marc Chagall designed all twelve stained-glass windows (1967–1985), transforming it into a unique artistic and historic landmark.
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A brief story of Marc Chagall
A full and varied lifeMarc Chagall (1887–1985) was a Russian-French artist whose work became one of the most distinctive voices of modern art. He was born Moishe Shagal in Vitebsk, then part of the Russian Empire (now Belarus), into a Hasidic Jewish family.
His early life in this small, deeply traditional community left a lasting imprint on his imagination; many of his later paintings draw on memories of village life, Jewish folklore, and religious symbolism.
Chapel of All Saints’ Church
Chagall studied in St. Petersburg before moving to Paris in 1910, where he absorbed influences from avant-garde movements such as Cubism and Fauvism while developing his own poetic, symbolic style. His later works include major public commissions such as the ceiling of the Paris Opera.
Window 2 - Deep blue with crescent moon
After the Russian Revolution, he briefly held a cultural leadership role but left due to political tensions, eventually settling in France. During World War II, he fled to the United States to escape Nazi persecution, later returning to France, where he produced paintings, stained glass, and murals until his death.
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The family of Sarah d’Avigdor-Goldsmid
A young life taken awayThe story of the gorgeous Chagall windows at All Saints’ Church in Tudeley begins, unfortunately, with tragedy. In 1963, Sarah d’Avigdor-Goldsmid, the 21-year-old daughter of Sir Henry and Lady Rosemary d’Avigdor-Goldsmid, died in a sailing accident off Rye along the Sussex coast.
Plaque to Sarah d’Avigdor-Goldsmid
The family lived in Tudeley at the time in a Jacobean house named Somerhill, which is now a school. Their daughter Sarah loved contemporary and Modern Art and bought an early David Hockney at his graduation show for £25, which she gave to her mother.
Memorial window to Sarah d’Avigdor-Goldsmid
Window 9 - Serene Angel
Chagall came to stained glass work relatively late in his long career, with some of his finest work at the Hadassah Medical Centre Synagogue in Jerusalem. It was during a 1961 visit to an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris by Sarah and her mother that they saw the Chagall designs for the Hadassah windows and fell in love with them.
Window 6 - Angel with harp, bird, and donkey
Window 7 - A red tumbling angel, bird
In response to Sarah’s death, her parents decided to create a lasting memorial to her, commissioning the renowned artist Marc Chagall to design a stained-glass east window for the small Kent church.
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The Chagall windows in Tudeley
The inspiration of Psalm 8Initially reluctant, Marc Chagall accepted the commission, inspired by Sarah’s own admiration for his work. The beautiful memorial window was completed and installed in 1967. When Marc Chagall came to Tudeley for its dedication, he was so struck by the simplicity and beauty of the church that he reportedly declared, “C'est magnifique! Je les ferai tous!” (“It’s magnificent, I will do them all!”).
Window 12 - Resurrection, birds, donkey, four candles at top
Window 5 - Warm colours, a blue fish in the quatrefoil
Over the next decade and more, this spontaneous decision evolved into a unique artistic project. Chagall went on to design the remaining eleven windows, collaborating with master glassmaker Charles Marq in Reims, France. The windows were installed in stages during the 1970s and early 1980s, with the final set completed and dedicated in 1985, shortly before Chagall’s death, aged 97.
Window 4 - Deep blue with white bird
Today, All Saints’ Church is the only church in the world with all its windows designed by Marc Chagall. However, there is also the synagogue in Jerusalem and a chapel in Limousin, France. But All Saints’ is the only church.
Window 10 - Angel and 'Vava', his nickname for his wife
Window 11 - Resurrection, small angel, green bird, four candles
What initially began as a single memorial piece for Chagall has become a complete, immersive artwork, transforming a modest rural church into an internationally significant site of modern stained glass, blending personal grief, religious symbolism, and Marc Chagall’s distinctive, dreamlike style.
It’s a beautiful church to see. If you are in the vicinity, I urge you to make a visit to this little gem.
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