Cathédrale de Reims - 1909

Twelve generations of glass artists since 1640 until nowadays.

The tradition of glass artists in the SIMON family began with Pierre SIMON who signed in 1640 a chef d’oeuvre in the art of stained glass window making which has become an heritage of the workshop. Since the 17th century, from father to son, each generation has been able to hand down the know-how to the next one and that has been done until nowadays. This long experience confers to the worshop the row of the 7th oldest family firm in France. Benoît MARQ, who is Jacques SIMON’s grandson and Brigitte SIMON’s and Charles MARQ’s son, represents now the twelfth generation.

At the beginning of the last century, Jacques SIMON perpetuated the family tradition inherited from his father, Paul SIMON, and in 1926, he built the workshop on its present place. In 1917, he saved the stained-glass windows of Reims Cathedral, by laying them down during the bombardments. Throughout his life, he has striven for the restoration and the re-creation of the stained-glass windows which were destroyed during the First World War. At the same time, he continued his work of creation of stained glasses for civil and private monuments. Nowadays, his works of creation improves the treasure of the “Art Deco style” stained-glass window.

Cathédrale de Reims - 1909

As early as 1957, the workshop was developed by Brigitte SIMON, Jacques SIMON’s daughter, and her husband Charles MARQ. They were the first with Metz Cathedral to introduce the stained-glass windows of great contemporary painters in the historical religious heritage : Jacques VILLON, Roger BISSIERE, then Marc CHAGALL. This work of creation has continued for forty years, throughout the world, with Marc CHAGALL, but also with a lot of other artists such as Georges BRAQUE, Serge POLIAKOFF, Léonard FOUJITA, Juan MIRO, Raoul UBAC, Maria-Héléna VIEIRA DA SILVA, Mordecaï ARDON. For the last ones, they were helped by Benoît MARQ, their son, who entered the workshop in 1973. Since 1981, he has been managing the workshop and was joined by his wife Stéphanie MARQ in 1986.

At the same time, Benoît MARQ realized personal compositions and stained-glass windows with painters : Maria-Héléna VIEIRA DA SILVA, Raoul UBAC, Diana SCHOR, Cécilia BOZZOLI, Elisabeth de la MAUVINIERE, but also with François ROUAN, Luc SIMON.
Lately, he created stained glasses for church windows of Villenauxe la Grande, with the English artist David TREMLETT.
Then, he created stained glasses of Saint-Pierre Cathedral in Martinique with the Martiniquais artist Victor ANICET.
Finally, he realized stained glass crations for an ecumenical church in Zurich in 2007.

Atelier Simon Marq

In July 2006, Benoît MARQ was presented with the Legion of Honor insignia by the Minister of small and medium-sized entreprises, craft industry and trade.
In the same year, l’Atelier SIMON MARQ was awarded the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant”.