Rue du Taur
In 250 AD Biship Saturnin of Toulouse disobeyed the Roman emperor by refusing to make sacrifices to pagan gods. As punishment, the Bishop was tied to a bull and dragged through the streets of Toulouse. His end was a bloody one, but you wouldn't know that from the serene beauty of the basilica erected in the 9th century to host his remains.
Three major landmarks in Toulouse commemorate the final journey of Saturnin, who later became known as Saint-Sernin. Legend has it that Saint-Sernin's body was dragged along the now popular street "Rue du Taur" or "Street of the Bull." Today Rue du Taur boasts many crêpe and kebab restaurants popular among the younger crowd. Saint Sernin supposedly met his fate along this street and was originally buried where the dark and unimpressive "Eglise du Taur" now stands. Later, however, he was moved to the Saint-Sernin Basilica at the end of Rue du Taur.
The impressive Saint-Sernin Basilica was begun in 1080 and finished a mere 400 years later. It became a stop along the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela in the middle ages and many pilgrims still visit the 128 saintly remains that are housed here.
Saint-Sernin Basilica took 400 years for good reason. The building is beautiful. Its simple brick and stonework create a light and airy atmosphere inspiring peaceful reflection. This is a welcome change after the complex and sinister Gothic style church. It is also impressive in size and is the largest Romanesque church still standing in western Europe. If you're visiting Toulouse take a stroll down Rue du Taur after vising the basilica and enjoy the fact that the only red you are seeing is brick, and has very little to do with bulls or blood.
Three major landmarks in Toulouse commemorate the final journey of Saturnin, who later became known as Saint-Sernin. Legend has it that Saint-Sernin's body was dragged along the now popular street "Rue du Taur" or "Street of the Bull." Today Rue du Taur boasts many crêpe and kebab restaurants popular among the younger crowd. Saint Sernin supposedly met his fate along this street and was originally buried where the dark and unimpressive "Eglise du Taur" now stands. Later, however, he was moved to the Saint-Sernin Basilica at the end of Rue du Taur.
The impressive Saint-Sernin Basilica was begun in 1080 and finished a mere 400 years later. It became a stop along the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela in the middle ages and many pilgrims still visit the 128 saintly remains that are housed here.
Saint-Sernin Basilica took 400 years for good reason. The building is beautiful. Its simple brick and stonework create a light and airy atmosphere inspiring peaceful reflection. This is a welcome change after the complex and sinister Gothic style church. It is also impressive in size and is the largest Romanesque church still standing in western Europe. If you're visiting Toulouse take a stroll down Rue du Taur after vising the basilica and enjoy the fact that the only red you are seeing is brick, and has very little to do with bulls or blood.
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2 comments:
You are right that this church is different from the Gothic churches, but the Romanesque style came before the Gothic style, not after.
is difficult to determinated the real age of this incredible structure, let me see again to give you my opinion...is a strange mix between Romanesque and Gothic.
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