The Church of " Taur " in Toulouse !!! .

Franck BRUGUIERE
3 days ago
4 min read

In the photo, we can see the Church of Taur, an emblematic monument of the city of Toulouse, with its bell wall made of terracotta bricks, typical of our city's architecture.

INTRODUCTION :

The beautiful pediment-shaped bell tower of " TAUR " church in Toulouse .

This splendid church is located between " Place du Capitole and the Basilica Saint-Sernin ", on the street of the same name, " Rue du Taur " .

Let's set off to discover this magnificent church which has many surprises in store for you!.

A Little history :

It was listed as a historical monument in the 1840 register.

It is not located here by chance.

In fact, a certain " Saint-Saturnin " had founded the first Christian community of Toulouse in the year 250.

However, since the Romans worshipped several gods and the population of Toulouse was pagan, they asked " Saint-Saturnin " to abandon his faith.

" Saint-Saturnin " refused and the Romans sentenced him to death !!! .

He was tied by the feet to a bull at the western gate of the city.

He was dragged along the entire " Via Tolosana ", which today is " Rue du Taur ", streching from the " Capitole to the Basilica Saint-Sernin " .

What is of particular to us is that, before reaching the site of the present " Basilica of Saint-Sernin ", the bull made a stop in front of this famous church of Taur that is being presented to you today.

" Saint-Saturnin " was untied from the bull and attacked by the crowd, that was the end for him.

He died on the very site where the" basilica of Saint-Sernin " now stands, abd this is why it was built at that location.

Moreover, the relic of " Saint-Saturnin " is preserved ib the heart of hte basilica !!! .

Characteristics and construction of the Church of Taur in Toulouse :

It was built between the 14th and 16th centuries and is one the main monuments of Southern Gothic art.

-The bell wall :

It is characterized by a bell wall that perfectly follows the alignment of the buildings on the street.

It is clearly visible fron the city center of Toulouse.

The bell was in the tallest in the region, measuring 42 meters height.

The façade, made of terracotta bricks, is typical of Toulouse architecture.

It consists of two levels framed by small turrets and topped with a triangular pediment.

Each level has three openings, and the carillon contains 13 bells !!!.

-The portal :

The latter is the Gothic style and was built at the beginning of the 14th century.

It consists of two niches that house statues which originally belonged to those of " Rieux " .

The statues depict " Saint Francis of Assisi and an apostle " , while the central niche features a statue of the " Virgin Mary " dating from the 18th century.

-Inside :

The nave :

The main attraction of this church is its magnificent single nave in the Southern Gothic style.

It is 12 meters wide, 40 meters long, and 16 meters high.

On the south wall of the nave, there is painting dating from the 14th century.

On the left wall, there is painting depicting the martyrdom of " Saint-Satrunin " .

On the façade wall, you will discover the splendid organ, which was built between 1878 and 1880.

Magnificent organ with an original layout in this beautiful church in Toulouse.

The choir of the church :

It was constructed in the 15th century as an extension of the work on the nave.

in 1970, the church was provided with a new altar, which houses the relics of " Saint-Saturnin, Florian and Quentin ".

Above the altar, there is a painting depicting the martyrdom of " Saint-Saturnin " and the glorification of the Virgin Mary.

The chapels :

-The Church of " Taur " contains three small chapels.

The one on the left is decorated with a painting from 1890, and representing the death of " Saint-Joseph ".

- The one on the right features a gilded wooden sculpture group depicting the education of the Virgin Mary by " Saint-Anne " .

-In 1964 , the central chapel was up and a Black Madonna called " Virgin of the Rampart " was installed there.

She wears different vestments according to the liturgical calendar.

It dates from the sixteenth century and was placed in honor of the Catholics who had succeeded in driving the Protestants out of the city of Toulouse.