Kim en Joong, vitraux - Stained glass

Kim en Joong was born in Korea in 1940. The son of a calligrapher, he first studied traditional calligraphy, then entered the Seoul Fine Arts School. To support himself during his studies, he taught drawing at the minor seminary in Seoul. He discovered Christianity and converted. In 1969, Kim en Joong came to Switzerland and France to study contemporary Western art and embark on a life as a painter and artist. There, he met the Dominicans and asked to be received into their Order. He was ordained a priest in 1974. Some eminent Dominicans among his elders encouraged him to pursue his work as a form of “silent preaching” (Fra Angelico).

He worked hard for many years, before writers (Julien Green), major gallery owners (Yoshi, Sapone, Cazeaux-Béraudière.) and art specialists (Jean-Louis Prat, Bernard Antonioz) fell in love with his work, which was in keeping with the spirit of sacred art. Soon, he was creating stained-glass windows for some of today's leading spiritual centers and monumental heritage sites: Évry Cathedral, Chartres Cathedral, Dax Monastery, Ganagobie Abbey, Fontfroide Abbey, Brioude Basilica.