Sanden Abbey: Spiritual and Secular Motives Behind Its Gothic Build

The construction of Sanden Abbey was driven by both spiritual and worldly motivations. Abbot Suger firmly believed he was fulfilling a divine mission by building Sanden in the Gothic style, citing miracles like the discovery and transport of suitable materials as proof. However, practical considerations also played a significant role in the abbey's reconstruction. The old church was deemed too small and insecure. Suger expressed concerns about the overwhelming crowds on feast days and the potential for theft of valuable relics amidst such chaotic conditions. These concerns were well-founded given the historical context.

A Period of Unrest and Renewal

Following Charlemagne's death in 814, Western Europe experienced a period of significant unrest, marked by invasions from Scandinavians, Magyars, and Arabs until around the year 1000. During these centuries of chaos, history was perceived as stagnant, heavily focused on the past with little hope for the future. However, with the return of peace and order, a wave of building and a renewal of cultural and intellectual life emerged. Suger was a key participant in this mid-12th-century building boom, particularly in the construction of churches, and also contributed to the intellectual revival often referred to as the "renaissance of the Middle Ages." He challenged the sole preoccupation with the past by offering a forward-looking perspective, encapsulated in what might be the most important sentence of the 12th century: "Recollection of the past is the promise of the future."

Sanden: A Janus-Faced Building Harmonizing Past and Future

Suger, as a forward-thinking abbot, aimed to harmonize the old church with the new and to integrate the past with the future in his cathedral. The new Sanden Abbey is described as a "Janus-faced building," looking both backward and forward.

Romanesque and Roman Influences

Sanden looks back to earlier Romanesque churches, which themselves drew inspiration from Rome and structures like the Arch of Constantine. This influence is particularly evident in the all-important entrance on the west facade of the Gothic Cathedral. The three-portal entrances found in both Romanesque and Gothic churches were predicated on the Arch of Constantine, the arch through which triumphant Roman emperors passed on their way to being received as divine powers. This triple portal entry is an architectural design found in other contexts, such as the entrance to Yale's Hall of Graduate Studies, which is metaphorically described as a "cathedral of learning." Sanden's connection to Rome is understandable, given Abbot Suger's four trips to the holy city.

Pagan Symbols and Secular World Influences

More mysteriously, Sanden also incorporates pagan symbols from the secular world.

Zodiac Signs

On the north portal jams of the west facade, framed friezes flanking each side of the door display signs of the zodiac: - Upper left jam: Taurus (the bull) - Below Taurus: Aries (the ram) - Still lower: Pisces (two fish) - Upper right jam: Libra (with her scales) - Below Libra: Scorpio (a water sign, like Pisces) - Below Scorpio: Sagittarius (half-horse, half-human centaur and archer)

Labors of the Months

Adjacent to the zodiac signs, on the north portal jams, are images depicting the natural cycle of the seasons and the "labors of the months": - January: A man with two faces, looking forward and backward (linking to Janus, the etymological root for both January and the Latin "Janus door"). - September: Two men seated on a cask, filling it. - November: A man butchering a pig over a barrel. - Bottom of the left jam: A couple indoors, enjoying a holiday feast in front of a fire, representing the activity of December.

Biblical History and Moral Lessons

While the cathedral looks to Rome and the pagan past, it also delves deeply into biblical history. The central portal of the west facade of the first Gothic church, like many similar entrances, features the parable of the wise and foolish virgins from the New Testament (Matthew 25).

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

The parable describes ten virgins who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five were foolish and took no oil, while five were wise and brought flasks of oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all slept. At midnight, a cry announced the bridegroom's arrival. The foolish virgins asked the wise for oil, but the wise refused, advising them to buy their own. While the foolish virgins were buying oil, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Later, the other virgins came, but the bridegroom replied, "Truly I say to you, I do not know you." The parable concludes with the admonition to "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Sculptural Representation and Teaching Tool

On the left side of the door jamb, the wise virgins are depicted with their upturned vases full of oil. On the right, the foolish virgins are shown with their empty vessels turned down. This sculptural representation serves as a powerful teaching tool, a "Bible of the poor" who could not read. Sculpted on either side of the doorway, it presents a great parable about open and shut doors. The moral conveyed to those entering the house of God is to be prepared, as the hour of judgment is unknown. The message is to strive to be on Christ's right side, like the wise virgins with their ready and full vases, rather than on his left side, like the foolish virgins.

The next discussion will explore the meaning of entering a cathedral door, along with the story of Sanden as told over the doors on either side of the central portal of the west facade of France's first Gothic church.