ABSTRACT
Two selections related to Suger and his architectural program at St. Denis are presented here. The first, "The Beauty of the House of God", is from Suger's text On the Abbey Church of St. Denis and Its Art Treasures. Here, Suger describes the reconstruction of the abbey church. He refers to the dazzling art works, such as the jeweled chalice and the cross that he commissioned to ornament the new structure, and he explains that the contemplation of their material beauty draws the worshiper toward the contemplation of the realm of immaterial beauty. The second selection, "A Great Thing Is Love", is from the collection of sermons entitled Song of Songs, composed by Bernard between 1135 and his death in 1153. Amiens Cathedral represents the extraordinary engineering achievements of medieval church architecture. Venetian architecture incorporates strong influences from the Orient into Gothic structures such as the Doge's Palace and the Ca' d'Oro.
