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Alimov 1 Said Alimov Professor Purcell ART 101 7 May, 2019 The Basilica of St. Denis Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. By allowing sunlight to come through the large windows, Abbot Suger instilled the Neo-Platonic idea that the sun was the physical representation of God. Also, at that time, the church was rising in power, so the new structural style of the basilica brought more converts and eventually more power to the church. The Basilica of St. Denis was built so that worshippers would be in awe of the heaven setting, which would cause more people to declare their faith to God and to the church. The Basilica of St. Denis was originally built in 500-599 AD but was later reconstructed by Abbot Suger in c.1135-1144. Although its original architect is unknown, it is most famous for its reconstruction that was overseen by Abbot Suger . This basilica is also well known for its representation of Europe’s architectural shift from the Romanesque style to Gothic. The Gothic style brought new design, while the stones in the Romanesque period were there to simply give structure to the building. The shift brought the transformation of thick columns to much thinner

Alimov 1 and lighter columns. However, before this architectural movement can begin, Abbot Suger struggled to reconstruct and synthesize the style of the ancient building with his ideas of modern designs. He knew that the freshness of these new designs would bring beauty and spaciousness. He wanted people to be amazed at the transformation of the once small, but soon to be large and wide feel of the basilica. To create the wide feel, Abbot Suger issued the ceiling to have a complicated web of interlocked and pointed vaults. He also chose to have arches with points so that the basilica would not need thick walls to support the arch. Thick walls would make the interior look crowded and small, something Suger did not want. By having the pointed arches, those would take the weight of the ceiling and distribute the weight across rather than being pulled down. This allowed for thin and elegant looking columns, for they were able to support the ceiling because the weight of it was dispersed. He envisioned the structure to have high ceilings, which would be supported with thinner columns. Suger also brought in the idea of having tall towers so that the building would look like it was reaching for the heavens. By reaching the heavens, it brought this concept of being closer to God and reassuring the people’s faith. One of the key aspects of the basilica was the high ceiling, as it would also bring in more light, so that the church can be filled with bright lights of the luminous windows (Panofsky). The windows of the basilica played a key part, as Suger built the large clerestory windows to flood the basilica with light. Normally this design would look like a wall just decorated by windows, but Suger learned how to engineer these windows in the stone walls, so that the stone walls would appear to almost vanish and instead appear to have glass walls. Once again, light came through the colored glass of the windows, which created a vivid, bright color into the basilica. The natural sun provided enough light for the basilica. Not only did the large windows provide light for the basilica, but also served the purpose of making the basilica look like a heaven on the Earth. The

Alimov 1 sun was considered a physical representation of God in the natural world. So the large windows would not only bring light into the basilica, but also goodness and God himself. When people would step into the basilica, many believed that it was heaven, which would strengthen their faith in God. This not only brought many people to the cathedral, but also converted many individuals as well as bringing more power to the church. Considering that previous cathedrals and churches used to be dark and dense, it did not take much for people to believe that heaven actually looked like this new cathedral and convert. This was the first structure to looks so heavenly and many believed that having faith in the church would eventually lead them to the spiritual version of this heaven in the afterlife. As the Cathedral of St. Denis is located in a town with its namesake, the town is of France, which is why France is credited with being the originator of the Gothic Style. This is why architecture like the St. Denis cathedral was once dubbed as “French style” before the term “gothic” appeared. Because the shift from Romanesque to Gothic was so sudden, not many people enjoyed the design of the basilica early on. This distaste towards the style led people to believe that only barbarians such as the Goths would enjoy buildings like these. Eventually the term French Style was replaced with gothic Style because people began to appreciate the sheer beauty in this architecture. The church was also experienced an increase in power and became the first financial and economic institution during the Middle Ages. The church held its power by proclaiming that only they held the key to a person’s salvation. Many became so overwhelmed with saving their souls and reaching heaven that they would rat out other neighbors. Inquisition would ultimately force people to devote themselves to the church, if not they would be tortured and unfairly tried. This caused many to go to church because they fear what their afterlife may be, or because they feared the Inquisition. If people did not follow the rules of the church, then another worse consequence

Alimov 1 could fall upon the heretics, excommunication. Many thought that excommunication was worse than being tortured because not only was an excommunicated person destined to go to hell, but would also face total isolation for the rest of his or her life. No one was allowed to interact with an excommunicated person, or that other individual could force excommunication on him or herself. By using the “we are the key to salvation” leverage, the church quickly gained power and wealth. With the transition from dense, bulky cathedrals to light and open structures, this only brought more power and believers to the church. As the Basilica of St. Denis was the first to undergo this major transformation, this building would be the first to be a representation of heaven. As many people were once taught that the world was full of evil and darkness, and that only the cathedrals can offer protection; this whole perspective changed with the gothic movement. For the first time, people were able to experience the beauty of the world and see marvelous light filling the Basilica of St. Denis. It was so beautiful that many people believed that the structure was actually heaven, thus making Abbot Suger’s original goal successful. Many people believed that the church must be correct and close to God, if they can produce a place so similar to the likes of heaven. To sum up, The Basilica of St. Denis is masterfully designed Cathedral one of the most complete gothic buildings in the world. It became a symbol of heaven on the Earth. The light is representation of goodness and this element was well employed by Suger. It makes the interior alive and gives incredible aura and energy. I appreciate architecture since my childhood and Basilica Saint Denis Cathedral is one of the buildings that I can observe for hours and enjoy it.

Alimov 1 Work Cited Georgia Sommers Wright, "A Royal Tomb Program in the Reign of St Louis", in The Art Bulletin, Vol.56, No.2 (Jun 1974) pp.224–43 Christopher Wilson, The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church 1130– 1530, Thames & Hudson, 199 Stephen Gardner, "Two Campaigns in Suger's Western Block at Saint-Denis", Art Bulletin, Vol.44, part 4, 1984, pp. 574–87 William Chester Jordan, A Tale of Two Monasteries: Westminster and Saint-Denis in the thirteenth century (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009) Chapters 2–7. Sumner McKnight Crosby, The Royal Abbey of Saint-Denis from Its Beginnings to the Death of Suger, 475–1151, Yale University Press, 1987...