The idea of organizing a copper enamel workshop in Taizé has at least two origins. One of our older brothers who was gifted in the arts created pendants using the technique of copper enameling. But these were one-of-a-kind pieces, always original in their form. It was the father of one of the brothers in the community, who made decorative enamel pieces, who encouraged us to start a small-scale workshop to produce this type of piece.

Accordingly, two brothers went to see him for a few days to receive training. This training consisted of learning how to order enamels and copper pieces, mastering the techniques of applying enamel, as well as firing and finishing the fired pieces.

Armed with this modest experience, in the early 1980s we began to set up our workshop in Taizé.

First, we tried enameling small copper objects: small plates and bowls of various sizes. We concluded that producing such items would require a lot of work and materials, and that, as a result, production costs would exceed our capabilities. This would also have an impact on retail prices, which could discourage future buyers.

On the other hand, the idea of producing dove-shaped crosses emerged fairly quickly, but developed gradually. It was obviously inspired by a similar pre-existing brass cross. This prototype was large, which meant that these first enameled crosses were quite substantial and very heavy. Over time, when it became clear that visitors to our hill liked the Taizé cross in this form, we gradually reduced its size. The cross thus became lighter, and the efficiency of our work increased.

Since these crosses appealed both to the young and the not-so-young visitors to Taizé, we had to acquire a larger kiln, and the team of brothers in this workshop has gradually increased.