Medieval Sourcebook: Abbot Suger On What Was Done In His Administration

This is an excerpt of a reading assignment that I had from my course on "The Age of Cathedrals" from Coursera. It gives a more in depth look at Abbot Suger and the Cathedral of Saint Denis. It is one of two works by Suger concerning the abbey church of St. Denis and was probably begun shortly after the consecration of the choir in 1144 and finished no earlier than the end of 1148. All of the work that has survived is reproduced here. **Disclaimer: This is not my own work. I added it simply because of the information it provides.**
 

Abbot Suger

Some background: Suger was born in 1081 of a very minor knightly family. He was dedicated to the abbey of St. Denis at the age of nine or ten and came to see himself as its adopted child. Appointed abbot in 1122, he held that position until his death in 1155.

The abbey had been founded in the seventh century by the Frankish king Dagobert in honor of Denis, the patron saint of France, and his legendary companions Rusticus and Eleutherius. By Suger’s time it had long been the royal abbey of France. Kings were educated and buried there.

At this time, the French monarchy was slowly but surely on the way up. The king was gradually gaining power over his unruly nobles and would eventually use that power to win a major role in European affairs. Most of that development was still in the future, but by 1137 the pendulum was already beginning to swing. As royal abbey, St. Denis was a symbol of royal power, and what was done to it resounded the glory of both the monarch and France. The renovation was not just an architectural and religious event. It spoke to the politics of the time and the importance of the nobility.

Suger was in a position to recognize this fact. His office was a highly prestigious one, and as abbot, it made him one of the most powerful men in France. He was actively engaged in French political life and virtually ran the kingdom while King Louis VI was away on crusade. A fervent patriot, Suger never hesitated to identify the best interests of king, France, Church, abbey and God.

The old abbey church of St. Denis had been completed in 775. By 1137 it was dilapidated and probably would have been viewed with extreme suspicion by a modern building inspector. Thus Suger decided improvement was in order and in that year he began work on the west end of the church, building a new facade with two towers and three doors. In 1140 he moved from the west end clear to the other end of the church and started to build a new choir. It was completed in 1144. The result was a major event in the history of architecture. Gothic was born.

The influence of the abbey church on French architecture was undoubtedly furthered by its role as political symbol. When the new choir was consecrated in 1144, five French archbishops and thirteen bishops took part in the ceremony, an impressive tribute to Suger and his king. It was the French archbishops and bishops who would assume initiative in the future development of Gothic architecture. For Suger, of course, the primary significance of his church was neither political nor architectural but religious, insofar as he could separate the three. His main goal was to honor God and St. Denis.

Saint Denis holding his head

According to legend, Denis entered Gaul as a missionary in A.D. 250 and was executed in Paris eight years later. It was not all that easy. The Romans unsuccessfully tried roasting him on a gridiron, throwing him to the beasts, and baking him in an oven before they hit upon the idea of beheading him. That worked, but not immediately, for the decapitated saint picked up his head and walked two miles to the future site of the abbey before giving up the ghost.

However wonderful his legend may seem, medieval historians made it even better by confusing him with two other figures of the same name. “Denis” is the French version of the Latin “Dionysius,” the name Suger actually used. We encounter another Dionysius, in the Holy Bible, Acts 17:34, converted during Paul’s brief missionary visit to Athens. Five centuries later, in the late fifth or early sixth century, an anonymous Syrian theologian fascinated by the religious symbolism of light wrote a series of treatises which were attributed to the Dionysius of Acts 17:34. Eventually all the elements were combined and, according the legend, Dionysius was converted by Paul, became bishop of Athens, wrote the treatises, and eventually missionized France where he was martyred.

The identification is more important than one might at first imagine. The figure of St. Denis united the various aspects of the church in a peculiar way. As patron saint of France, his interests were tied to those of France in a twofold sense. His glorification was in a very direct way because he symbolized France. More indirectly because, like other saints, Denis would not neglect to reward a favor, and thus one could expect him to intervene for king and country more enthusiastically if his church was generously endowed.

Denis also united the religious and architectural aspects of the new church. It is hardly a coincidence that both the pseudo-Dionysian treatises and nascent Gothic architecture are interested in light. Suger himself was fascinated by the religious implications of light and built accordingly.

You can read Suger's treatise here: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/sugar.asp