Image: Jesse Window, c.1150: Two Kings and Mary

Two kings and the Virgin Mary, with prophets along the sides. Detail of the Jesse Window, dating from about 1150. It depicts the Tree of Jesse, a popular medieval motif showing a family tree of the royal ancestory of Christ. It is based on the prophecy of Isaiah: "there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isaiah 11:1). This window, the right lancet beneath the west rose, is one of only a few survivors of the fire of 1194 that destroyed most of the previous cathedral. Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France.