Abbot Suger as a Patron

Abbot Suger in Stained Glass at Saint-Denis

Abbot Suger found divine inspiration in material and wished to populate Saint Denis with heavenly treasures like his sardonyx chalice. With silver mounting. 30 gemstones, and 19 pairs of pearls originally covering the ancient Alexandrian cup, the chalice, mounted and decorated in Suger’s workshop, was quite a lavish production. [1] How did the Abbot justify such expenses for mere ornament?

In his book, The Book of Suger, Abbot of St. Denis: On What Was Done Under His Administration, he expresses his connection with the material world, noting that the beauty of the gems adorning his altar,

"has called me away from external cares, and worthy meditation has induced me to reflect, transferring that which is material to that which is immaterial, on the diversity of the sacred virtues: then it seems to me that I see myself dwelling, as it were, in some strange region of the universe which neither exists entirely in the slime of the earth nor entirely in the purity of heaven, I can be transported from this inferior to that higher world in an anagogical manner."[2]

Such dramatic language indicates Suger’s intense adoration for the treasures, including his chalice, with which he decorates his Abbey church. While the Cistercian movement urged monks to engage in the most simplistic environment possible, Suger defends the extravagance of the church, claiming that ornate possessions help Christians meditate on the divine.[3] He views his patronage as a service to the clergy and to God.[4]