Suger

Suger (süzhĕr`), 1081–1151, French cleric and statesman, abbot of Saint-Denis from 1122, minister of kings Louis VI and Louis VII. Born into a peasant family and educated at the abbey of Saint-Denis, Suger was noted for his financial ability and his talent for conciliation. In 1147, Louis VII left on crusade and appointed a council of regency, of which Suger was the leading member. During his administration (1147–49) Suger succeeded in maintaining peace at home and in raising funds to meet the king's expenses. He liberated the abbey at Saint-Denis from the tribute formerly paid to exploiters, recovered alienated properties, built a new church, and enriched it with works of art; the church is sometimes considered the first great work of Gothic architecture. At the same time he introduced a more severe discipline. His biography of Louis VI, whom he had known as a classmate, remains an important historical source; he also wrote fragments of a life of Louis VII, an account of his renovation of Saint-Denis (tr. 1946), and a work on his administration of the abbey.

---

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, and he used popular veneration for the saint and for the church's banner to rally military support for the king. Suger's work on the church of Saint-Denis was instrumental in the development of Gothic architecture. He arranged a treaty ending the civil war between Louis VII and his vassal Thibaut, and he served as regent (1147–49) while the king was away on the Second Crusade.

---

Suger

1081--1151, French ecclesiastic and statesman, who acted as adviser to Louis VI and regent (1147--49) to Louis VII. As abbot of Saint-Denis (1122--51) he influenced the development of Gothic architecture