Saint Denis - blueprint of the Gothic cathedrals in France

The first appearance of what can truly be considered ‘Gothic’, both in architecture and sculpture, is attributed to the rebuilding of the royal abbey church of St. Denis, located a few miles north of Paris. St Denis basilica preceeded the Chartres cathedral, better known by the general public, by about half a century. How did the Saint Denis basilica trigger the gothic architecture in France?

St. Dionysius (Denis in French) was responsible for introducing Christianity to Gaul. His tomb, as well as the tombs of the French kings, were in the abbey church of St. Denis. Charlemagne (747/748 – 814) had been consecrated as king at the church, and Charles Martel, Pepin, and Charles the Bald were buried there. As a result, the church was the symbol of the monarchy as well as a pilgrimage church. 

However, by Abbot Suger’s time (1080-1151), the church had fallen into disrepair. It was his vision of turning the Church of St. Denis into a grand church worthy of symbolizing the monarchy as well as accommodating the growing number of pilgrims.

In 1135 Suger began rebuilding the church by erecting a new west front with sculptured portals. The three portals, the circular rose window, and the flanking towers became hallmarks of the Gothic style as well. Work began on the choir in 1140, and was dedicated four years later. The choir of St. Denis is generally considered the birthplace of Gothic architecture. The rib vaults and pointed vaults cover the ambulatory and chapels, and the thin masonry walls and slender columns opened up the spaces for the stained glass windows. The lightness of the interior and the new emphasis on geometric order and harmony is what was so remarkable about the rebuilt St. Denis. 

Unfortunately, Suger did not live to rebuild the nave. However, the new style was quickly adopted, and soon churches and cathedrals throughout France and later the rest of Europe were being built in the Gothic style.

Soon after the dedication of the new choir of St. Denis (1144), the Gothic style quickly became adopted throughout France. Begun in 1155 and largely completed by 1230, the Cathedral of Laon was the first cathedral to be (re)built completely in the Gothic style. The first cathedral of truly colossal proportions was Notre Dame of Paris, begun in 1163 and largely completed by 1250. Other cathedrals, such as Sens (begun between 1135 and 1140), Noyon (begun between 1130 and 1150), and Vezelay (a gothic choir and transept were added to the earlier romanesque building between 1120 and 1140) were all part of the Early Gothic. They set the stage for the ultimate expressions of the Gothic style: Chartres (built between 1194 and 1220), Soissons (started 1176), Bourges (started 1195), Reims (started 1121), and Amiens (started 1218). 

This blog was partly based on the paper The Emergence of the French High Gothic at the Cathedrals of Chartres and Soissons by Thomas Mark Shelby (2002), source academia.edu. Additional information was derived from several Wikipedia pages. The illustration shows the nave of the Saint Denis basilica, reconstructed in the 13th century; source Wikipedia.

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