Editing Suger (section)

=== Suger and Louis VII (1137–49) ===
In 1137, he accompanied the future king, [[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]], into [[Aquitaine]] on the occasion of that prince's marriage to [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], and during the [[Second Crusade]] served as one of the regents of the kingdom (1147–1149). He bitterly opposed the king's divorce, having himself advised the marriage. Although he disapproved of the Second Crusade, he himself, at the time of his death, had started preaching a new [[crusade]].

==== Suger, the Regent (1147–9) ====
Though Suger was openly against<ref>Willelmus, ''Vita.'', 394.</ref> Louis VII's intention announced in 1145 to lead a crusade to rescue the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a council in February 1147 elected Suger to be a regent.<ref group=note>Initially, Suger and [[William II, Count of Nevers|William, count of Nevers]] were chosen in an election dominated by St Bernard, with the rationale as "twin swords—the ecclesiastical and securar—[to] protect the realm." William's imminent retirement as a monk meant that [[Ralph I, Count of Vermandois|Ralph of Vermandois]] and, to a lesser degree, [[Samson of Mauvoisin|Archbishop Samson of Reims]], to be co-regents with Suger. Grant, ''Church and State'', 157.</ref> One of the reasons Suger was opposed to the crusade were the issues present in France at the time: Louis VII wrote shortly after setting out to ensure protection of Gisors, and only six weeks after his expedition, asking for money, asking Suger to use some from his own resources if necessary.<ref group=note>"sive de nostro seu de vestro pecuniam sumptam nobis mittatis," [whether you send us money taken from us or from you,] in ''Recueil des Historiensdes Des Gaules et de la France'', ed. Martin Bouquet et al. (Paris, 1869–1904) vol 15, p. 487.</ref>

He urged the king to destroy the feudal bandits, was responsible for the royal tactics in dealing with the communal movements, and endeavoured to regularize the administration of justice. He left his abbey, which possessed considerable property, enriched and embellished by the construction of a [[Saint Denis Basilica|new church]] built in the nascent [[Gothic style]]. Suger wrote extensively on the construction of the abbey in ''Liber de Rebus in Administratione sua Gestis'', ''Libellus Alter de Consecratione Ecclesiae Sancti Dionysii'', and ''Ordinatio''.

==== Suger's final years (1149–51) and legacy  ====
After the regency, Louis VII and his contemporaries still consulted Suger on matters ecclesiastical and political, and he was asked to defend in a number of cases at court. At this point, Suger was also being assigned cases to work on lone which would otherwise be given to an episcopal commission to deal with lone; Louis VII also gave to Suger the task of resolving two episcopal elections, at which point Suger practically continued to hold the same level of control over the church of France as he would have had as regent.<ref>Grant, ''Church and State'', 278.</ref> Following the failure of the Second Crusade and letters from the Jerusalem and Pope Eugenius, Suger proposed a new crusade at a convention in Laon in 1150, with the support of Louis and St Bernard. The aim was to have a crusade run by the French church to do what the secular powers failed to do, led by Suger.<ref>Grant, ''Church and State'', 279.</ref> Support for this fell apart from many churchmen, including the Pope losing belief in the pursuit and advising the king to remain in France to settle local issues. The matter troubled Suger to his final year of his life, at which point he nominated an (unnamed) nobleman to take his stead in battle, though it ultimately did not materialise as the idea was likely shelved by that point.<ref>Grant, ''Church and State'', 280.</ref>

Suger's final year continued to be busy for him, as he was instructed by the pope to reform Saint Corneille at Compiègne. [[Odo of Deuil]]'s appointment as abbot had the backing of Louis VII and Suger, though after the two left, it was met with violent resistance by the canons (as was the case at Sainte-Geneviève). <!--Letters failed to resolve the situation, and Louis VII had to return to Compiègne on his own to resolve it, spending the , sincerely hoping that Suger would come with him--> <!--Beauvais Rebln, Anglo-Normn succession, Suger's expiry-->

<gallery mode=packed heights=180px style="text-align:left;font-size:90%">
File:Abt Sugerius.jpg|alt=|Suger in the ''[[Tree of Jesse]]'' window at St-Denis.

File:Vitraux Saint-Denis 190110 19.jpg|alt=|''The [[Annunciation]]'' pane of the Infancy Window, showing Suger, the patron, at the feet of the Virgin.

Vouet - L'abbé Suger, vers 1632 - 1634, 756.jpg|alt=|A painting by [[Simon Vouet]] of Suger (1633), held at the [[Musée d'Arts de Nantes]]. 

File:Saint-Omer 92.jpg|alt=|A marble statue by [[Jean-Baptiste Stouf]] (1836). Today, it stands in front of the ruins of [[Abbey of Saint Bertin|Saint-Bertin Abbey]], [[Saint-Omer]].<ref>When it was decided in 1931 that the statues be moved to the birth places of their representatives, Suger's was moved to Saint-Omer from a local legend that he was born there. {{cite web|url=https://en.tourisme-saintomer.com/offres/statue-de-labbe-suger-saint-omer-en-4018524/|title=Statue de l'abbé Suger.|website=Saint Omer tourism office|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612091657/https://en.tourisme-saintomer.com/offres/statue-de-labbe-suger-saint-omer-en-4018524/|archive-date=June 12, 2024}}</ref>

File:Statue de Suger - Foyatier.jpg|alt=|A [[neoclassical sculpture]] by [[Denis Foyatier]] (1835) in the [[Palace of Versailles]].
</gallery> 

<!--contempory legagy, folloewd by modern legacy-->Today, [[:fr:Rue Suger|a French street]] is named after Suger, and two schools bear his name ({{ill|Lycée Suger|fr|Lycée Suger|display=1|italic=yes}} in Saint-Denis, and ''École secondaire Suger'' in [[Vaucresson]]).