vaulted nave and stained glass of 13th century Saint-Denis basilica, Paris, France

vaulted nave and stained glass of 13th century Saint-Denis basilica, Paris, France Stock Photo
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Image details

Contributor:

B.O'Kane / Alamy Stock Photo

Image ID:

2JPEPH1

File size:

48.1 MB (4 MB Compressed download)

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Dimensions:

3348 x 5020 px | 28.3 x 42.5 cm | 11.2 x 16.7 inches | 300dpi

Date taken:

14 August 2022

Location:

Paris, France

More information:

In 1231, Abbot Odo Clement began work on the rebuilding of the Carolingian nave, which remained sandwiched incongruously between Suger's Gothic works to the east and west. Both the nave and the upper parts of Suger's choir were replaced in the Rayonnant Gothic style. From the start it appears that Abbot Odo, with the approval of the Regent Blanche of Castile and her son, the young King Louis IX, planned for the new nave and its large crossing to have a much clearer focus as the French 'royal necropolis', or burial place. That plan was fulfilled in 1264 under Abbot Matthew of Vendôme when the bones of 16 former kings and queens were relocated to new tombs arranged around the crossing, eight Carolingian monarchs to the south and eight Capetians to the north.[31] These tombs, featuring lifelike carved recumbent effigies or gisants lying on raised bases, were badly damaged during the French revolution though all but two were subsequently restored by Viollet le Duc in 1860. The dark Romanesque nave, with its thick walls and small window-openings, was rebuilt using the very latest techniques, in what is now known as Rayonnant Gothic.