Editing Basilica of Saint-Denis (section)

=== The disambulatory and chapels ===
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File:Basilica Saint Denis ambulatory.JPG|The ambulatory (1140–1144)
File:Saint-Denis (93), basilique Saint-Denis, déambulatoire 2.jpg|disambulatory
File:Balisila of Saint-Denis, Paris, interior.jpg|Disambulatory and chapels
File:Basilique Saint-Denis chapelle de la Vierge.jpg|The axial chapel of the Virgin (12th c.)
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The chevet had been constructed by Suger in record time, in just four years, between 1140 and 1144, and was one of the first great realisations of Gothic architecture. The double disambulatory is divided not by walls but by two rows of columns, while the outside walls, thanks to buttresses on the exterior, are filled with windows. The new system allowed light to pass into the interior of the choir. The disambulatory connects with the five radiating chapels at the east end of the cathedral, which have their own large windows. To give them greater unity, the five chapels share the same system of vaulted roofs. To make the walls between the chapels even less visible, they are masked with networks of slender columns and tracery.{{Sfn|Plagnieux|1998|p=8}}

The apse with its two ambulatories and axial chapels was extensively rebuilt in the 12th century, to connect harmoniously with the new and larger nave, but a major effort was made to save the early Gothic features created by Suger, including the double disambulatory with its large windows. To accomplish this, four large pillars were installed in the crypt to support the upper level, and the walls of the first traverse of the sanctuary were placed at an angle to connect with the wider transept.{{sfn|Plagnieux|1998|p=12}}

The basilica retains stained glass of many periods (although most of the panels from Suger's time have been removed for long-term conservation and replaced with photographic transparencies), including exceptional modern glass, and a set of 12 [[misericords]].