Suger On Splendor Essay

According to Abbot Suger, one of the most important aspects of building the choir of the abbey church of St. Denis, is the embellishment of parts of the choir such as the towers and the altar. He mentions how the precious stones (e.g. topaz, onyx, emerald) created such beauty that he is relieved from all his physical worries, that everything that is “material is transferred to that which is immaterial.” The beauty of the design is so powerful, he claims that he is transported to a weird place between Heaven and earth.
However, while he states that the physical splendor has some divine importance, there is a greater need for focus on the craftsmanship of the church. Inscribed on the main doors of the church – “Whoever thou art, if thou seekest to extol the glory of these doors, Marvel not at the gold and the expense but at the craftsmanship of the work.” I believe that Suger had this
They realized that the only way to obtain them was to have them shipped from Rome, which is would have been challenging, given the fact that they would have to be shipped a long and dangerous route and would even require them negotiating with their enemies. But once again, “the generous munificence of the Almighty revealed to the astonishment of all” a cheaper, faster and easier place to retrieve the columns from: a quarry near Pontoise. Suger also mentions that when retrieving the columns from the bottom of the quarry, people of all different types of social status banded together to pull the columns out of the quary. “There occurred another miracle worthy of telling”, Abbot included. Another miracle is recalled, when a huge storm came through when the main arches of the churches weren’t yet secured. While this massive storm tore through plenty of buildings that were thought to be intact, through the hands of the Bishop, God protected the arches and the church escaped