A new material interpretation of twelfth-century architecture : reconstructing the Abbey of Saint-Denis / Jason R. Crow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crow, Jason R., author.

Series:

Knowledge communities (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Knowledge communities

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Abbaye de Saint-Denis (Saint-Denis, France).

Cathedrals--France--Saint-Denis.

Cathedrals.

Church architecture--France--Saint-Denis.

Church architecture.

Church buildings--France--Saint-Denis.

Church buildings.

Architecture, Gothic--France--Saint-Denis.

Architecture, Gothic.

Christian art and symbolism--France--Saint-Denis.

Christian art and symbolism.

Saint-Denis (France)--Buildings, structures, etc.

Saint-Denis (France).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (224 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam : Amsterdam University Press, 2024.

Summary:

Today, we perceive Gothic cathedrals as light-filled forms representing the sacred. The colored light projected from brightly-colored stained glass windows onto the walls and floors of these buildings suggests the presence of divinity. Suger (1081-1151CE), the abbot of the monastery of Saint-Denis, is credited with originating Gothic architecture. However, focus on form and structure has elided attention to the material out of which medieval churches were made. When Suger describes the early church he was replacing, he says that the gold and gems it contained beamed outwardly with a gleaming light that filled the eye. When he restored his church and filled it with the shining souls of his ecclesia, he repeated God's divine act of creation. His restored church imitated the precious stones that could be shaped and polished to reveal divine light. By crafting stone, Suger fulfilled the divine plan to make heaven on earth.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Materializing the Way

2 Crafting Prayer

3 The Everflowing Fountain

4 Embodying Heaven on Earth

Postface: Dematerializing Architecture

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 May 2025).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-003-69018-1

1-04-078423-2

90-485-3216-7

9781003690184

OCLC:

1437669292