Abbot Suger

Abbot Suger

Suger (c. 1081 – 13 January 1151) was one of the last French abbot-statesmen, a historian and the influential first patron of Gothic architecture.

Suger was born into a poor family and in 1091 was brought to the nearby abbey of Saint-Denis for education. He trained at the priory of Saint-Denis de l'Estrée, and there first met the future king Louis VI the France. From 1104 to 1106 Suger attended another school, perhaps that attached to the abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire. In 1106 he became secretary to the abbot of Saint-Denis. In the following year he became provost of Berneval in Normandy, and in 1109 of Toury. In 1118 Louis VI sent Suger to the court of Pope Gelasius II at Maguelonne, and he lived from 1121 to 1122 at the court of Gelasius's successor, Calixtus II.

On his return from Italy Suger became abbot of St-Denis. Until 1127 he occupied himself at court mainly with the temporal affairs of the kingdom, while during the following decade he devoted himself to the reorganization and reform of St-Denis. A controversial theory has him starting work at that time - along with the renovation of his Basilica - on the creation of the Tarot deck of playing cards. In 1137 he accompanied the future king, Louis VII, into Aquitaine on the occasion of that prince's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and during the Second Crusade served as one of the regents of the kingdom (1147 - 1149). He bitterly opposed the king's divorce, having himself advised the marriage. Although he disapproved of the Second Crusade, he himself, at the time of his death, had started preaching a new crusade.

Suger served as the friend and counsellor both of Louis VI and Louis VII. He urged the king to destroy the feudal bandits, was responsible for the royal tactics in dealing with the communal movements, and endeavoured to regularize the administration of justice. He left his abbey, which possessed considerable property, enriched and embellished by the construction of a new church built in the nascent Gothic style. Suger wrote extensively on the construction of the abbey in "Liber de Rebus in Administratione sua Gestis", "Libellus Alter de Consecratione Ecclesiae Sancti Dionysii", and "Ordinatio". Scholars such as Erwin Panofsky believe that the theology of the Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite influenced the architectural style of the abbey of St. Denis.

Suger became the foremost historian of his time. He wrote a panegyric on Louis VI ("Vita Ludovici regis"), and collaborated in writing the perhaps more impartial history of Louis VII ("Historia gloriosi regis Ludovici"). In his "Liber de rebus in administratione sua gestis", and its supplement "Libellus de consecratione ecclesiae S. Dionysii", he treats of the improvements he had made to St Denis, describes the treasure of the church, and gives an account of the rebuilding. Suger's works served to imbue the monks of St Denis with a taste for history, and called forth a long series of quasi-official chronicles.

References

*"Suger", "Encyclopedia Britannica", 1911
*"Suger", "The Middle Ages, A Concise Encyclopedia", H.R. Loyn Editor, 1989 (ISBN 0-500-27645-5)
*" Abbott Suger of St. Denis: Church and State in Early Twelfth-Century France." Grant, Lindy. Essex, UK: Addison Wesley & the Medieval Concept of Order (Third Edition)", Simson, Otto Van. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1988. Bollingen Series XLVIII. (ISBN 0-691-01867-7)
* "The World, A History Volume One - to 1500", Filepe Fernandez Armesto. (ISBN 0-13-177764-5)

External links

* [http://www.buzzle.com/articles/gothic-art-abbe-suger.html Gothic Art and Abbe Suger]
* [http://www.whichcrafte.com/mystery/tarot/rom/ The Tarot and Abbe Suger]

Further reading

* Suger, Abbot of Saint Denis,. "The Deeds of Louis the Fat". Translated with introduction and notes by Richard Cusimano and John Moorhead. Washington, DC : Catholic University of America Press,1992. (ISBN 0-8132-0758-4)
* Suger, Abbot of Saint Denis,. " [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/suger-louisthefat.html The Deeds of Louis the Fat] ". Translated by Jean Dunbabin (Free, but has no annotations)

Persondata
NAME= Suger, Abbot
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= French abbot-statesmen, historian and the influential first patron of Gothic architecture.
DATE OF BIRTH=1081
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=1151
PLACE OF DEATH=


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Suger — born 1081, near Paris died Jan. 13, 1151 Abbot of Saint Denis and adviser to Louis VI and Louis VII. A peasant boy educated at the abbey of Saint Denis, he was a schoolmate and close friend of the future Louis VI. In 1122 he was elected abbot,… …   Universalium

  • Suger von Saint-Denis — Abt Suger auf einem mittelalterlichen Fenster in der Kathedrale von Saint Denis (12. Jahrhundert) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Suger — • Abbot of St Denis, statesman and historian, b. probably at or near St Denis, about 1081; d. there, 13 Jan., 1151 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Suger     Suger      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Suger —   [französisch sy ʒe], Suger von Saint Denis [ sɛ̃ dni], französischer Staatsmann und Geschichtsschreiber, * bei Paris wohl 1081, ✝ Saint Denis 13. 1. 1151; seit 1122 Abt von Saint Denis. Suger kam aus bescheidenen Verhältnissen, wurde als… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • SUGER, ABBÉ —    abbot of St. Denis, minister of Louis VI. and Louis VII.; reformed the discipline in his abbey, emancipated the serfs connected with it, maintained the authority of the king against the great vassals; he was regent of the kingdom during the… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Basilica of St Denis — West façade of Saint Denis The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis (French: Cathédrale royale de Saint Denis, or simply Basilique Saint Denis, previously the Abbaye de Saint Denis) is a large medieval abbey church in the commune of Saint Denis, now …   Wikipedia

  • Gothic architecture — See also: Gothic art The western façade of Reims Cathedral, France …   Wikipedia

  • History of France — The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the list to the right. The chronological era articles (highlighted in blue) address broad French historical, cultural and sociological… …   Wikipedia

  • Bernard of Clairvaux — Infobox Saint name=Saint Bernard of Clairvaux birth date=1090 death date=death date|1153|8|20|mf=y feast day=August 20 venerated in=Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church imagesize=200px caption=St Bernard in A Short History of Monks and… …   Wikipedia

  • Louis VI of France — Infobox French Royalty|monarch name=Louis VI the Fat title=King of the Franks caption= reign=29 July 1108 – 1 August 1137 coronation=3 August 1108 full name= predecessor=Philip I successor=Louis VII spouse=Lucienne de Rochefort Adélaide de… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”