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 seemingly dances, as it simultaneously suggests the presence of divinity. Opening the walls to allow for the insertion of the glass that brightens the interiors of what once had been, perhaps, dark and claustrophobic spaces is understood to be the key characteristic of the Gothic form of twelfth-century architecture. Suger (1081–1151CE), the abbot of the monastery of Saint-Denis, just outside the walls of Paris, is credited with originating the architectural change that filled later medieval structures with light. However, focus on the form and structure of Gothic architecture has elided attention to the material out of which medieval churches were made. In this book, I argue that the materiality of the church offered and continues to offer insight into how an individual, such as Suger or one of his monks, achieved a mystical union with divinity.

At some point, early in the twelfth century, Suger likely began planning to tear down the existing church at his abbey, dedicated to Saint-Denis, the third-century Bishop of Paris, so that the building could be reconstructed to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims who visited the church. In addition to being the Abbot of Saint-Denis, Suger is recognized for his achievements as a historian and a politician. Suger's reconstruction of the abbey church at Saint-Denis formed an expansive and integrated program of work to reconstruct France and the terrestrial realm. Suger was intimately connected with Louis VI, Louis VII, and the papacy in Rome throughout his career as a monk, abbot, and politician. He deployed his skills in the political realm to develop and solidify the emerging territory of France as a state that he understood to be a vassal of the abbey, as outlined in his Vita Ludovici Grossi Regis, a history of the life of Louis VI. However, the abbey Suger inherited from his predecessor, Adam, was held in disrepute and had fallen into disrepair. Reforming the monastery was a lifelong concern of Suger and included reestablishing the reputation of the abbey and its importance for the monarchy. Part of this work involved the creation of a church that matched this political ambition.