Abbot Suger on the Abbey Church of St. Denis and Its Art Treasures

by Abbot Suger, Erwin Panofsky (Editor), Gerda Panofsky-Soergel (Editor)

This revised edition incorporates the additions and corrections recorded by Erwin Panofsky until the time of his death in 1968. Gerda Panofsky-Soergel has updated the commentary in the light of new material, and the bibliography that she has prepared reflects the scholarship on St.-Denis in the last three decades. She has obtained some additional and more recent photographs, and the illustrations include a new ground plan and a new section of the chevet of the Abbey Church, both drawn under the supervision of Sumner McKnight Crosby.

Genres: History, Art, Nonfiction, Medieval, College, Art History, Architecture

285 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1979

About the author

Suger was a French abbot, statesman, and historian. He was one of the earliest patrons of Gothic architecture, and is widely credited with popularizing the style.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 even parts.

1) Aptly preceded by an introduction on Suger's life and personality: principled in all things, a humane figure in an age of saintly heroes, but with the vanity of the low-born & a tendency to micromanage.

2) Abbotly translated with the Latin chapters on the left and English prose on the right for about a third of the book.

3) Turgid text commentary makes up the rest.

[Adam Carnehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first saw this book on the shelf of my supervisor in graduate school. I knew nothing about Suger or the birth of the Gothic style, and I asked him about it. With a twinkle in his eye (because of my curiosity or, perhaps, my ignorance), my supervisor briefly explained Suger's Dionysian philosophy of art, and he said something like, "Suger was absolutely captivated by the display of shimmering, dancing light, especially as it was reflected from precious gems and jewels, because such exquisite light led him upwards to the Divine Light." Such a view of minerals, stones, and glass sounded absurd to my 21st century ears, and I decided that, should I ever see this book again, I must buy it and read it. Thankfully, I did.

This short collection of Suger's works, admirably introduced, translated, and annotated by the great Erwin Panofsky, is equally valuable to the student of medieval history, art, architecture, religion, or philosophy. Suger himself is a delightful medieval personage - politically savvy and materially shrewd as well as intensely pious and openly honest. He is an excellent writer and scholar, but he is chiefly remembered for his patronage and leadership of the Gothic re-building of the St-Denis abbey church, North of Paris. The attention the abbot gives to style, color, narrative, and design is extremely interesting. Fin-de-siecle aesthetes, if they had read it, would probably have seen him as their forerunner, due to his sheer radiance at discussing light, space, and balance in architecture and design.

It is for Suger's vision and patronage of St-Denis that he is chiefly remembered today. St-Denis, the first of all Gothic churches, was restored, expanded, and beautified by Suger during his tenure as abbot there. Based on his readings of Pseudo-Dionysius and John Scotus Eriugena, Suger put a uniquely medieval, Neoplatonist theological aesthetic into effect at his church. For Suger, the material world was the means by which a "dull mind" might travel, via contemplation, to the Divine world. Excellent craftsmanship, beautiful stones, and stately columns had the effect of elevating the mind - via the anagogical approach - to the Mind of God. Beauty thus becomes a kind of road, steppingstone, or guide to Heaven. The glories of ornament and design can aid anyone from a monk to a king (and both were frequent worshippers at St-Denis) in a transition from a lower to a higher world. The Neoplatonism is clearly evident, but Suger had more than enough license to borrow from it. After all, the church housed Dionysius' relics, and its Frankish benefactors had been educated by John at the school of Aachen.

Yet, perhaps what makes Suger's works most interesting are the charming stories he includes, stories about miraculous signs, early morning rides through forests, and other unusual or even humorous tales. From beginning to end, Suger writes in an accessible and very human way. He's fascinating and enjoyable to read, and I expect someone to see this book on my shelf one day and ask me about it.

[Saskia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Abbott Suger and his total re-imagining of St. Denis has entirely captured my imagination since I began to read about him. A fascinating time in History and a strong and eccentric personality make this story an even more compelling one. The politics behind Suger's decisions are interesting, and the revolutionary ideas embodied in the church marked a significant change in architecture and Europe itself.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This man saved my life on my masters comps - I had to list an annotated bibliography at the end (title and author and a brief description) and all I could remember were Panofsky's books. My roommate froze on this final part of the essays and failed. I am convinced this saved me. I still remember trudging through some of the readings, but they were right for the studies.

[Mary Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is *the* text you need if you want to understand gothic architecture. Abbot Suger is a fascinating man (and, depending who you ask, supreme egotist) and the translation in this edition is fantastic. I'm using it for my personal research but you could also use it just to get a better idea about medieval theology and architecture if you were interested.

[Grace Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd get a beer with Abbot Suger.

[C. M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abbot Suger: the father of gothic architecture. What a goat. However, it must be noted that this book is less a guide to the architectural style, the way Vitruvius is for the classical, but more of a devotional work that reveals the mindset behind the work. Read this if you're interested in what sort of changes might be made in a medieval church restoration, what motivated those changes, Abbot Suger himself, and learning about the Church of St. Dennis in particular, not if you're merely curious about gothic architecture. However, it would be unfair to rate the book less simply because it didn't focus on what I had expected.

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent translation and collection of major writings by one of the singular geniuses of the Gothic cathedral movement, Abbot Suger. Essential reading for understanding the genesis of the cathedrals of the High Middle Ages.

[Rydberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wstęp z "wielką teorią" o Pseudo-Dionizym oczywiście bezcenny, tak samo komentarze. Szkoda że przetłumaczone są tylko fragmenty "De Administratione". Tekst po angielsku lepiej czytać w przekładzie Cusimano bo przystępniejszy i jest całość. Ale z kolei tam nie ma łacińskiego tekstu.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

he agotado la poca visión espacial que me quedaba

[Lamadia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The introduction by Panofsky is good and interesting to read, though a little outdated. The 12th century text is what was to be expected, not riveting, but factually interesting. I found the commentary on the text to be tiresome and trying. This book is only for the serious student of early Gothic art, as it is very dense.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book many years ago after its owner had abandoned it, but I never read it because it looked extremely boring. It is, in fact, extremely boring, though it does seem to be a rigorous work of scholarship on an important topic.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic work on the nativity of "Gothic" architecture before it had a name. Comes with a great introduction by Erwin Panofsky that puts Suger in his historical context.