And Then There Was Light … : The Origin of Gothic Architecture
Europe. 1144 BC. Conrad III is King of Germany, styling himself “King of the Romans” although he will never actually be coronated as Holy Roman Emperor. The sparking incident of the Second Crusade takes place with the capture of the County of Edessa. The Anarchy, an English civil war over the succession, between Empress Matilda and Stephen de Blois is in a lull. Eleanor of Aquitaine’s husband, Louis VII of France, is occupying Champagne in his own war. However, Louis is in Saint-Denis, a city north of Paris (now a suburb), on June 11 for the dedication of the Basilica of Saint-Denis. His counselor, Abbot Suger, will be credited in the 19th century for being the primary designer. It is more likely that he is an enthusiastic patron of two unnamed architects, based on stylistic differences within the building.
The Basilique Royale de Saint-Denis is regarded as the first true Gothic construction, remodel technically. Prior to 1135, the basilica was a run-down church incapable of handling the masses pilgriming to the shrine of St. Denis. In 1135, the first stage of reconstruction began on the west front. The nave was expanded, three new chapels were added, and a new three-story façade with north and south towers was created, although the northern tower would be removed after an 1846 tornado. Five years later, the second phase on the eastern end started, this one remodeled the choir, using a rib vaulted ceiling to enable tall walls of stained glass. Abbot Suger wrote about the construction project in three different books — all of which are Latin mouthfuls to pronounce — which means the exact work completed during the renovation and the reasons for the changes from the traditional (of the time) Romanesque style are preserved.
Abbot Suger was a proponent of light and color, achieved in Gothic works by enlarging the interior space both through higher ceilings and an abundance of stained glass windows. In the basilica nave, a Suger quote is carved, reading, “For bright is that which is brightly coupled with the bright/and bright is the noble edifice which is pervaded by the new light.” One argument for his fascination is a 6th century mystic popular with the clerics of Suger’s era, Pseudo-Dionysius the Aeropagite. He believed that any light, even the slightest glint, is tied to divine light. Increased light in a holy structure, increased divine presence.
Oddly enough, Europe hated the new style. Although Suger referred to it as “Modern Style”, it got the name “Gothic” from the Goth tribe. It was a slur insinuating that since the style was not based on the “Classical” styles, aka Greek/Roman, it was akin to the styles of the “barbarous” East Germanic people. Eventually people began appreciating the style, it even experienced a revival through the 18–1900s; however, the name stuck.
