Abbot Suger and St. Denis: Blending Past, Present and Future

My first writing assignment for my course on the Gothic cathedrals. The essay is limited to 250 words (give or take), so that's why this is so short. I chose to focus on the architectural side, since that's mainly what I am studying about. Thought I'd share it with you all. Feel free to leave a critique or a comment.

Prompt: Abbot Suger wrote the innovative sentence, “The study of the past is the promise of the future.” Using what you have learned, discuss three ways in which the past, the present, and the future are combined at Saint-Denis. You may refer to architectural design, sculptural or stained glass motifs, or literary themes that bring the past into the present and point toward the future.

When Suger planned for the renovations at the Abbey Church of St. Denis, he knew he couldn’t demolish the old church to make way for the new. The church had a rich and important history. He needed to find a way to blend the old with the new.

St. Denis was a site for Christian pilgrimages. This was an integral part of its history. The abbey itself could be considered a reliquary because not only was much of France’s nobility interred there, but it was also believed that the church had been sanctified by Jesus Christ. Suger needed a way to preserve the history. He did this by using the stones and other materials from the original church to rebuild St. Denis. As an old Medieval proverb states “A building torn down is already half rebuilt”.

Even though Abbot Suger is equated with the beginnings of Gothic architecture, at the time he began the reconstruction of the abbey, Romanesque design was still utilized. It was in this style, but with some innovative changes, that morphed into what we know today as French Gothic architecture. Suger equated light with divinity, so he wanted the interior space of St. Denis to convey this. Gone were the thick walls and small windows of the Romanesque style. He used large stained glass windows as a way to achieve this lightness. They were, in essence, the walls of the church. It would be heavenly.

In conclusion, Suger was able to blend past, present and future by employing existing building design and materials with his vision of opening up the church to accommodate more people, his belief that light is equal to divinity and maintaining St. Denis as a reliquary.