Final answer:
Abbot Suger believed renovating the Basilica of Saint Denis was important to create a space that fostered spiritual contemplation through divine light, leading to the birth of Gothic architecture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Abbot Suger, the patron of the Basilica of Saint Denis, believed it was important to renovate the church to reflect the divine connection between light and spirituality. Through the restructuring around 1135, Suger sought an architectural design that would invite more light into the space, leading people from contemplation of the light to thoughts of God. This was a stark contrast to views held by contemporaries like Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who advocated for simplicity and the removal of distraction.
Suger's renovations departed from the heavier Romanesque style, giving rise to the Gothic architecture that would dominate European ecclesiastical buildings for centuries. Driven by the writings he thought originated from Saint Denis (but were actually from a sixth-century philosopher), Suger's vision was to create a space that would not just honor the royal occupants and their deity, but also transport visitors to a more heavenly and spiritual place. This revolution in design, focused on divine light, was embodied in the structure's stained glass and high vaulted ceilings, which were radically different from the previous Romanesque architecture of lower, darker, and less-decorated styles.