The origin of Gothic architecture, a style which defined Europe in the later Middle Ages, can be traced to a single abbey church in the northern suburbs of Paris. The Basilique royale de Saint-Denis (Royal Basilica of Saint-Denis), constructed on the site of an abbey and reliquary established in Carolingian (800-888 CE) times, was partially rebuilt under the administration of Abbot Suger in the early 12th Century; these additions?utilizing a variety of structural and stylistic techniques developed in the construction of Romanesque churches in the preceding centuries?would set medieval architecture on a new course that would carry it through the rest of the epoch.

West Façade. Image © Wikimedia user Thomas Clouet (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)
The origin of Gothic architecture, a style which defined Europe in the later Middle Ages, can be traced to a single abbey church in the northern suburbs of Paris. The Basilique royale de Saint-Denis (Royal Basilica of Saint-Denis), constructed on the site of an abbey and reliquary established in Carolingian (800-888 CE) times, was partially rebuilt under the administration of Abbot Suger in the early 12th Century; these additions?utilizing a variety of structural and stylistic techniques developed in the construction of Romanesque churches in the preceding centuries?would set medieval architecture on a new course that would carry it through the rest of the epoch.

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