Basilica St. Sernin

Sernin is the Occitan language adaption of the name Saturnin. Since I am in the Occitan area of France, I will refer to Saturnin as Sernin-the way it is done here. Both are correct, and you will find them interchanged frequently.

The first martyr of Toulouse was their first bishop; Sernin. He was a Christian who lived in the first half of the 3rd century. The legend goes that Roman priests were unable to hear their oracles any time Sernin passed near their altars. Sernin passes by the alters which particularly angered the Roman priests that day. The priests apprehend Sernin and tried to force him to perform a sacrifice to their images. Angered by Sernin’s refusal, the priests tie Sernin’s feet to the back legs of a bull. The bull dragged Sernin through the streets of Toulouse until the rope broke. Loyal followers of Sernin gather up his parts and bury him outside of town. To this day much of the imagery and names of buildings and streets of Toulouse reflect this early history. The street where the bull reported to have stopped is located at the old north gate of the city, and has been called is Rue du Taur for centuries. Thia street ends at the main entrance to the Basilica St. Sernin.

The history of the Basilica St. Sernin follows the early history of the Christian church of Toulouse. As more of the citizens of Toulouse became Christian, they honored St. Sernin by building a wooden structure over his grave. A church now stands on this site: Notre-Dame du Taur (Our Lady of the Bull). As time went on, many early Christian pilgrims came to visit the site. In those times, people attempted to atone for their earthly sins by making pilgrimages and doing other good works. To accommodate the masses of pilgrims arriving, the bishop of Toulouse began building a larger basilica at the end of Rue de Taur. This is now the 4th century and the new basilica is underway. The relics of St. Sernin are relocated to this new location named the Basilica St. Stenin. After a generous donation of relics by Charlemagne in the 8th century the Basilica continued to grow in popularity among pilgrims.

During the 9th century in the Spanish town of Santiago Compostela miracle happened leading to the discovery of the tomb of St. James the Greater. Pilgrims from all over Europe begin to flock to this town in the northwestern part of Spain. St. Sernin, already a destination for pilgrims, becomes a stopping point on the way west to the cathedral of Santiago Compostela. There are four pilgrim routes across the Pyrenees into Spain. The most southerly route starts in the Rhone Valley and was called Via Tolosana because the route came through Toulouse. In 1998 this particular route was inscribed as one of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites to define the path of the pilgrims through France into Spain.

The Basilica St Sernin which was started in the late 11th century was built specifically to accommodate the large number of pilgrims. It is the largest Romanesque church left standing in the world. I recently returned to see the church. Knowing a bit more of the local history now, I was interested in a slower review of the artifacts. I went with a friend who is similarly interested in what the French call “patrimoine”. Roughly translated it means the cultural wealth and history of the area or country. It describes and includes the land, buildings, art and all things included in the history of the area.

The interesting sites of the church include the main doorway, which open directly onto Rue du Taur. The doorway sculptures are described in detail and noted on plaques as you enter. Once inside, the sheer size of the church is astounding. Today, the side isles are used for tourists to use and not interrupt the services, just as in years gone by. Pilgrims are still working their way to Santiago Spain through Toulouse. An additional fee permits you access to the Crypt. This is where the relics of the Saints are kept. During the time of the French Revolution, many of the artifacts where hidden away and some have been secured in other locations to be preserved. The tomb of St. Sernin underwent a major renovation in the 18th century and has a bit of a different look than the somber Romanesque character of the majority of the church. The day that I went, a volunteer of the church was giving a guided tour. These tours are infrequent and the only way that you can get up onto the higher level. There was not much of a view, as the upper level was built for the height and to access windows to let in more light.

The bell tower, the highest in the city can be seen from many locations. At night it is lite up with colored lights that change over the course of the evening. The organ and choir stalls are beautiful examples of craftsmanship of the time periods in which they were constructed. The first organ was installed in the 17th century and underwent major renovations in the 19th century by Aristide Cavaille-Coll. Most recently, restoration work to remove old plaster revealed 11th century frescos that are in good condition. The church is open to the public, but not everyone respects the value of the site. We were looking for the wood carvings of the Apostles from the 14th century. In the brochure they were to be found at the bottom of the steps in the crypt. We were told that the statues were moved to a more secure display location because several of the Apostles hands were cut off and stolen. I noted that the printing of the brochure was within the past 10-15 years, since it lists an e-mail address. So if anyone who reads this blog knows about the hands, please help them be returned.