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Virtual Tour and Journal Entry: A Town in the Middle Ages
The town Saint Denis is located in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. Abbot Sugar was someone who had an important role with the construction of St. Denis. Sugar played a key role in developing new architectural techniques with the church. Some of the new architectural techniques included things such as pointed arches, flying buttress, and rubbed vaults. Abbot Sugar changed Gothic architecture in buildings forever with these new techniques. The church itself is made up of two main architectural styles. The styles of the church include Romanesque and New Gothic styles. The use of Roman architecture style is what placed the blend of Romanesque into the style of the church. The church has a Roman style roof. This can be seen within the tiles of the church’s roof. This is executed with the slopes in the roof that was created with the method of tubli. There are also colorful tablets that cover the church's walls, this is located in the opus sectile. The Abbeys church and town of St. Denis had a significant movement
in not just new architectural styles, but also city planning. This was because the Abbey church itself had the most impact on the things and land around it. Once the church was constructed it was life changing for the town it was built in. The town favored the church and the town reconstructed itself. This gave the opportunities for new floor plans, materials, paths, and roads that were being constructed. Not only did it improve the layout of the town, but it also improved its economy. The economy flourished once the church and new architecture were introduced to the town. This created growth for new architectural activities. This included clearing more land, building more grain silos, and creating proper workshops. They also created tanning pits, which is where they would prepare and process animals and their livestock.
