The Symbolism of the New Style
According to Suger, the chancel, with its semicircular plan and glowing
jewels of colored glass, made the "first crown of Light" in architecture that
represented, for him, the presence of God. The symbolism extended further;
for example, the twelve outer columns on the lines radiating from the chapels
represented the twelve Apostles and the twelve inner columns represented
the minor prophets. This chancel, with its flowing spaces and the radiance
of the stained-glass windows, would serve as a model for most of the major
churches and cathedrals in France and many in England and across Europe
for the next two centuries.