nation in Europe. Louis was devoutly religious and was a major patron of the Catholic Church and arts. The University of Paris, or Sorbonne, was founded under his rule, as a school of theology. The major Rayonnant cathedrals had his patronage, and his royal chapel, Sainte-Chapelle, which he built to house his extensive collection of relics of the Saints, is considered one of the major landmarks of Rayonnant Gothic. He also had an important influence on English Gothic; King Henry III of England was the brother-in-law of Louis, visited Paris, and had Westminster Abbey modified after 1245 following the new style. He also attended the dedication of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, and had the east end of St. Paul's Cathedral remodelled in 1258 to resemble it. Amiens Cathedral The first cathedral to be constructed in the Rayonnant style was Amiens Cathedral (1220–1270). Its builder, Bishop Evrard de Fouilly, set out to build the largest cathedral in France; one-hundred forty-five meters long, and seventy meters wide, with a surface area of 7700 square meters. The vaults are 42.5 meters high. The nave was completed by 1240, the choir was completed between 1241 and 1269. The architects were Robert de Luzarches and Thomas and Renaud de Cormont; their names and images are found in the labyrinth of the cathedral. The most striking Rayonnant feature of the nave is the enormous height of the grand arcades in the nave, eighteen meters, matching the combined heights of the triforium and clerestory levels above. The high windows were also a new Rayonnant arrangement; groups of four lancet windows topped by three small rose windows in the nave, and eight lancets in the transept, bringing in a deluge of light. A close study of the tympanum in 1992 revealed traces of paint, indicating that it was entirely painted in bright colors. The original appearance is simulated today on special occasions with coloured lights. The Basilica of Saint-Denis and Notre-Dame de Paris Soon after work began on Amiens Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Denis, which had introduced elements of Gothic style to Paris, received a Rayonnant makeover. The nave and the transepts were rebuilt beginning in 1231, opening up a greater amount of interior space (though altering beyond recognition some of the original Gothic features created by Suger). The walls were rebuilt with much larger windows, which opened up the upper elevation from the main arcades to the apexes