Stavele

Stavele was under water throughout the war. Even so, Allied troops used the village and its surrounding as a rest area. To begin with, the soldiers found shelter in stables and barns. Later, special barracks were built. Stavele was in the French sector and was the location for several French camps.

On 15 October 1915, an 18 year-old French soldier, Etienne Loren, was killed. He was the son of Charles Lorin, a stained-glass artist from the great cathedral city of Chartres. Etienne Lorin was first buried in Stavele but his remains were later repatriated to France. To help come to terms with his grief, Charles made two stained-glass windows for the church in Stavele, which were installed in 1919.

These windows can still be seen in the baptism chapel. The left window depicts the martyrdom of St. Stephen (Etienne in French), with a portrait of Etienne Lorin in the medallion. The right window depicts the battlefield of the IJzer.

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