Saint-Denis cathedral Basilique cathedrale Saint-Denis is often seen as one of the most important buildings in the history of Gothic architecture. Abbot Suger was the brain though not the architect! He transformed the existing romanesque abbey church in a feast of light. But why? Denis was a patron saint for France.
In the year , the relics of St. Denis were reinterred in the basilica. It now became a sanctuary, a place of pilgrimage. Denis was so important to the french that nearly every king from the 10th century until the 19th century was buried in this necropolis.
One of those kings is Louis VI He was a school companion of Suger , and yes, he was born in the same year! Possibly with some help of the king, Suger became abbot in Under his leadership the cathedral was renovated and transformed into the masterpiece that it is today.
He wanted to create a church that would be filled with light. He believed that light was the material that could take people to the truth and the intellectual. The existing church, built in the 7th century in the Romanesque style, was a dark and gloomy place, with small windows and thick walls. Suger ordered to combine new building innovations, like the rib vault and pointed arches, to create more light in the church.
These innovations made it possible to build higher walls but with more space for windows. As a result, the Saint-Denis cathedral was filled with light, which helped to create a mystical and spiritual atmosphere. It had a profound influence on the development of Gothic architecture. His use of light and the way he structured the space of the church inspired other architects to create similar structures.
