St Denis, Basilique cathédrale - The west portals
The famous west facade of St Denis originally conceived by Suger in around 1135 was constructed 1140 -1144. However the centuries and the pollution have taken their toll and a recent cleaning programme has revealed many gems beneath the blackened facade of the past 50 years or so. In the 1830s François Debret restored much of the stonework and sculpture and the recent cleaning has enabled his work to be more easily differentiated from the original and from repairs of earlier centuries. The 20 statues were all removed in1770:some heads survive in various museums.
|
|
|
|
