Abbé Suger and the Origins of  
Gothic Architecture
By Mr. Henderson
Page 2

 

 Suger knew that this traditional type of building, in which the weight of the roof rested on the walls, would no longer work.

 It was abbot Suger who came up with new ways of making churches that would overcome the limitations of building with stone. The person for whom this church would be built, Saint Denis, often said that light was the perfect example of God's power and creative force.  So Suger wanted a Church that could let the light of God shine in upon the worshipers.  But he could not do this with the normal style of architecture. 


             


Suger knew the lines of thrust would have to be directed off of the walls in order to allow give them stability in a tall building and to allow for windows.

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 Suger realized that in order to put windows in his renovated church, he needed to redesign the walls.  The walls could no longer be expected to hold the weight of the roof.  The weight of the structure had to be directed away from the walls.  

Another problem was stability.  It was extremely difficult to add stability to such large, heavy buildings.  Because the walls had the job of carrying the weight of the building, there could only be a few small windows.  As we have seen, for this reason they were avoided or made very small.