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 (114749) while the king was away on the Second Crusade .