Saint-Mihiel Festival of Lights

The Concept

The "Light Comes from Within" Stained Glass Trail involves powerfully illuminating the stained glass windows of churches across the Meuse region from the inside. From the outside, no equipment is visible: the white light projected from bottom to top brings out shades of green and red that daylight cannot reveal, allowing the buildings to be admired at night.

A Project by the L'Esperluette Association

Vincent Adelus and his wife Isabelle, an artist, conceived this setup within the L'Esperluette (&) association, alongside the association's president, Thibaut Villemin. Launched in 2022, the project first illuminated the stained glass of the Saint-Michel church and the Saint-Étienne collegiate church in Saint-Mihiel, before expanding to neighboring towns. The lighting uses LEDs, and local public street lighting is dimmed to create a sense of twilight around the buildings.

Ephemeral Contemporary Creations

Beyond highlighting historical stained glass, the trail incorporates ephemeral contemporary creations made on tracing paper by Isabelle Adelus & Suran. These modern works engage in a dialogue with the ancient glass.

An Expanding Trail

The 2025-2026 edition illuminates the windows of 23 churches across the twenty-three participating towns: Ailly, Ambly, Ancemont, Apremont-la-Forêt, Creuë, Essey-et-Maizerais, Frémeréville, Génicourt, Gironville, Hattonchâtel, Heudicourt-sous-les-Côtes, Jouy-sous-les-Côtes, Lacroix-sur-Meuse, Lérouville, Marbotte, Mécrin, Nonsard, Pannes, Rouvrois-sur-Meuse, Saint-Mihiel, Seuzey, Troussey, and Vignot. Three routes converge on Saint-Mihiel: one from Verdun, one from Pont-à-Mousson, and the third from Toul and Commercy.

Since 2023, a total of 45 Meuse churches have been illuminated. The initiative has spread to the Pays Barrois and the Saulx valley, and two chapels in the Metz Cathedral are also equipped.

The Illuminated Churches

The trail includes remarkable buildings in the Sammiellois and Meuse valley areas. Each church features stained glass from different eras and styles, ranging from medieval to contemporary. Many Meuse windows were destroyed or damaged during the First World War and later replaced by 20th-century creations.

How to Visit

The stained glass windows are illuminated from 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM every evening throughout the duration of the trail. Access is free and open to all. You can follow the circuits at your own pace, by car, or on foot between the closest churches.

Support

The Stained Glass Trail is a winner of the 2024 Sésame Prize from the Fondation du patrimoine. It is funded by the State via the FNADT, the Grand Est Region, the Côtes de Meuse - Woëvre and Val de Meuse - Voie Sacrée communities of communes, as well as the twenty-three towns hosting the project.