ARTH Courses | ARTH 212 | ARTH 212 Assignments | Liturgical Objects | St. Denis

The Treasury of the Abbey of St. Denis

The following illustration was produced by Félibien at the beginning of the 18th century. It was one of a series of illustrations documenting the holdings of the church treasury of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Denis.

Spurs, originally made in the 12th century, but modified in the 17th and 19th centuries, Louvre
The spurs were used in the coronation of the French King.
Sword and scabbard, originally made in the 9th -10th centuries, but altered in the 11th, 12th, and 19th centuries, Louvre.
Called the sword of Charlemagne, the sword was used in the coronation of the French king.
Suger Eagle, porphyry vase from Egypt or imperial Rome, with gold eagle head and wings attached before 1147, Louvre. Inscription at the base of the neck of the Eagle reads: Includi gemmis lapis iste meretur & auro: Marmor set, sed in his marmore cavior est.
Agate Vase, as attested to by inscription, the vase was given to St. Denis by Suger, Louvre Inscription: Dum libare Deo gemmis debemus & auro
Hoc ego Suggerius offero vas Domino
Vase of Aliénor (Eleanor) Inscription on the base of the vase (see below) reads:Hoc vas sponsa dedit Anor Regi Ludvico, Mitadolus avo, mibi Rex sanctsque Sugerus. It attests that the vase was given to King Louis VII by his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, and then was given to Suger for the abbey. The inscription also records that Eleanor had received it from a "Mitadolus." Who this mysterious was is not certain. He was perhaps a king of Muslim Spain.
Paten, made of precious stone called Serpentine which is decorated with Dolphins, Louvre Bowl from the 1st century BCE or CE while the gold mount probably comes from the reign of Charles the Bald from the end of the 9th century