During this period in Saint-Denis, the church that was constructed was the center of the community that grew around it. The church can be seen as an indication of how the community was functioning and its overall wellness. The economic prowess of a community could be extrapolated from the church’s architecture or from the presence of a construction project to enhance the church. The economic windfall and the later enhancement of the church by abbot Suger is an example of how the church can portray a community’s prosperity.
The church can also function as a sign of wartime in a community. During the Hundred Years war the abbey served as a staging point for the armies of the country as the town was also a strategic point for the country. This abbey was worth protecting to during this war due to all the relics and the connection with French royalty. The abbey was therefore eventually turned into a type of citadel during the war.
The abbey at Saint-Denis constant change in function also highlighted the mindset of the community that it occupied. As stated before, the abbey functioned as type of citadel and was a signal of the community’s wartime frame of mind. Napoleon turned the abbey into the Maison d’éducation de la Légion d’honneur, signifying a mindset to emphasize education in the community. The churches of many communities can serve as indicators of that community’s state of being. It is interesting to see how integral the church was to the function of the community dynamic, which is something relatively lost in modern times.
