Final answer:
Abbot Suger provides eyewitness information about the birth of Gothic architecture, as he initiated the style with his work on the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual who provides eyewitness information about the birth of Gothic architecture is a. Abbot Suger. Abbot Suger is credited with beginning the Gothic architectural movement with his renovations of the Basilica of Saint-Denis. His work and writings documenting the beautification of Saint-Denis are often seen as laying the foundational principles of Gothic architecture. In contrast, Giorgio Vasari, Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Villard de Honnecourt offer perspectives from later periods; Vasari through his critical writings, Ghiberti with his celebrated Renaissance sculptures, and Villard de Honnecourt as an itinerant draftsman and observer of numerous Gothic buildings.
Abbot Suger's advocacy for a new architectural style emphasizing height and light can be seen in the ambulatory and chapels he commissioned. The Gothic style developed from these renovations, characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses. These innovations allowed for the creation of larger windows and higher ceilings, flooding the space with light, which was equated with divine presence. Suger's works not only transformed ecclesiastical architecture but also had a lasting influence on European architecture for centuries to come.