Stained glass emerged with the development of religious buildings and Gothic art in the Middle Ages, and later benefited from the advent of new technologies during the Renaissance (grisaille, painting) and from the innovations of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. First, the artist designs a pattern, then a model and later a full-size drawing. The glass is then cut and assembled temporarily, if necessary, in the lead frame, before being painted and fired. The glass is then assembled permanently and finally welded into the frame.

Francis Chigot is the master of stained glass and founded a workshop in 1907. He created many windows in buildings around Limoges and throughout the world (such as the Cathedral of Montréal). His workshop remains in the form of a workers cooperative and the Atelier du Vitrail still carries out the creation and restoration of stained glass to this day.

The work of Francis Chigot can be discovered and admired in Limoges, in the stained glass windows of the train station, Sacré-Cœur church and the Pavillon du Verdurier. Ancient stained glass is to be seen in the cathedral, the churches of Saint-Michel and Saint-Pierre, and the Fine Arts Museum.