St-Sernin (Toulouse)

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General view of the basilica
cross-section

The Saint-Sernin basilica is a symbol of Toulouse . The building combines the type of a gallery basilica and a relay hall . The pilgrimage church was built over the tomb of Saint Saturninus , Bishop of Toulouse, who died a martyr's death in 250 ( Sernin is a smoothed shape to Saint-Saturnin). It is part of the French Way of St. James from Arles to Santiago de Compostela and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998 .

architecture

Saint-Sernin with bell tower
Floor plan of the basilica

Like many buildings in Toulouse, the ville rose , it was built of red stones. It has an octagonal bell tower with a carillon.

The construction period is between 1077 and 1119 (altar consecration 1096). Saint-Sernin is the largest preserved Romanesque church in France. The size of the church is based on its function as a pilgrimage church. The total length is 115 m, the transept depth 64 m, the height of the central nave 21.10 m, the width of the nave 32.50 m, the height of the bell tower 65 m. Together with the Sainte-Foy de Conques , Saint-Sernin is one of the top performances in the Romanesque Languedoc.

The inner aisles of this church consist of two floors. The lower one is covered with a groin vault, which is slightly higher than that of the outer aisles. These lower vaults of the inner side aisles have galleries that are illuminated by external windows that act as cliffs above the roofs of the outer side aisles. The ceilings of the inner aisles above the galleries are half barrel vaults that lean against the base of the barrel vault of the central nave. These half barrel vaults are structured by complete round arches, which, like the upper arcade between the main and inner aisles, have their apex at the level of the base of the central nave vault. There are no side windows above this vault base. Thus, the three inner naves together form a pseudo and gallery basilica, but all five naves together form a basilica.

In the height area between the galleries of the inner and the vaults of the outer aisles there is a low gallery floor with arcades to the inner aisles and small windows in the outer walls, which, however, contribute little to the lighting of the church aisles.

The high nave was not built until after 1118. A service climbs from each pillar to the belt arches of the barrel . The sprawling three-aisled transept has eastern apses. An octagonal dome rises above the crossing over trumpets that lead from the square to the octagon. The choir has a gallery and five radial chapels, with the axial chapel being extended. The richly developed external structure of the choir differentiates the model of the cathedral of Nevers .

The whole building was probably completed around the middle of the 12th century. With its dimensions, Saint-Sernin was one of the largest and most artistically magnificent works of Romanesque architecture.

The crossing pillars were subsequently strengthened when the tower was raised in the middle of the 13th century. The west facade was not completed until 1929.

In 1838 the church was placed under protection as a Monument historique , from 1845 by Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879) "restored". Viollet did not preserve the status at that time, but instead realized his ideal of a harmoniously proportioned Romanesque sacred building "with Roman-Greek influences" - a view that provokes contradictions among today's monument preservers. Viollet formulated his restoration principle as follows: "To restore a monument does not mean to maintain, repair or renew it, but rather to bring about the perfect state that may never have existed."

The Commission for Historical Monuments entrusted him with the renovation of Saint-Sernin in 1845. Viollet had replaced the simple saddle roofs over the nave and transept with a stepped roofing, adorned the massive brick walls with friezes and added two square towers to the west facade - but only on paper (art 5/90).

inner space

North transept (2012)

The interior houses over 260 sculptural works.

  • The main altar by Bernardus Gelduinus (Bernard Gilduin) was built before 1096. The richly carved cafeteria made of white marble is 2.23 × 1.34 m in size. The monumental sculpture of the High Romanesque actually begins with Gelduinus.
  • In the ambulatory, seven marble reliefs from the late 11th century can be seen: the Majestas domini, four angels and two apostles. It is the first large-scale figure sculpture from the Romanesque period. The strictly frontal posture is characteristic, the heads are partly in profile. Gallic-Roman grave steles served as models.
  • The capital sculpture from the late 11th and early 12th centuries is also worth mentioning.
  • Of particular importance is the column portal on the south aisle, the Porte Miègeville from around 1118. The tympanum shows the ascension of Christ, accompanied by four angels; the lintel shows the apostles looking up; to the side above the fighting zone are Peter and James. In the overall architectural structure as well as in the plastic style, this portal shows close ties to the Puerta de las Platerias in Santiago de Compostela (pilgrimage route).

organ

Cavaillé-Coll organ from 1888

This church also has one of the most important organs by the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll , which was built in 1888. Disposition :

I positif
Montre 8th'
Cor de nuit 8th'
Salicional 8th'
Unda maris 8th'
Prestant 4 ′
Flûte douce 4 ′
Carillon III
Trumpets 8th'
Basson-Hautbois 8th'
Clairon 4 ′
II Grand Orgue
Montre 16 ′
Bourdon 16 ′
Montre 8th'
Viol 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Salicional 8th'
Flûte harmonique 8th'
Prestant 4 ′
Flûte octaviante 4 ′
Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Duplicate 2 ′
Fittings V.
Cymbals IV
Cornet V
Bombard 16 ′
Trumpets 8th'
Clairon 4 ′
Clairon doublette 2 ′
Trompette-en-chamade 8th'
Clairon-en-chamade 4 ′
III Récit expressif
Quintaton 16 ′
diapason 8th'
Flûte harmonique 8th'
Viole de Gambe 8th'
Voix céleste 8th'
Flûte octaviante 4 ′
Octavine 2 ′
Cornet V 8th'
Bombard 16 ′
Trumpets 8th'
Basson-Hautbois 8th'
Clarinet 8th'
Voix humaine 8th'
Clairon harmonique 4 ′
Pedale
Principal Bass 32 ′
Contrebasse 16 ′
Big flute 16 ′
Violoncello 8th'
Flute 4 ′
Contre Bombarde 32 ′
Bombard 16 ′
Trumpets 8th'
Clairon 4 ′

See also

literature

  • Ernst Adam: Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque. A look-around picture book . Umschau-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1968, p. 139 ( Epochs of Architecture ).
  • Georges Duby, Jean-Luc Daval (ed.): Sculpture. From antiquity to the Middle Ages. 8th century BC BC to 15th century . Taschen, Cologne et al. 1999, ISBN 3-8228-7119-2 , p. 279 .
  • Rolf Legler: Southwest France. From the Massif Central to the Pyrenees. Art, culture and history . 5th edition. DuMont, Cologne 1983, ISBN 3-7701-0986-4 .
  • Viviane Minne-Sève: Romanesque cathedrals and art treasures in France . Bechtermünz, Eltville 1991, ISBN 3-927117-84-6 , pp. 28/29, 34, 35 .
  • Alain Perceval: Aerial image France . Atlantis, Zurich et al. 1979, ISBN 3-7611-0563-0 .
  • Rolf Toman (ed.): The art of the Romanesque. Architecture, sculpture, painting . Könemann, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-89508-213-9 , p. 148 .

Web links

Commons : Saint-Sernin Basilica  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Since the central nave has a barrel vault, the arches of the arades cannot, of course, rise above its base. But the apex of the vaults above the galleries are significantly higher than the base of the central ship buoy, see cross-sectional drawing
  2. ^ Friedrich Gerke : The table altar of Bernard Gilduin in Saint Sernin in Toulouse . Franz Steiner, Wiesbaden 1958 (= treatises of the humanities and social science class of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz. Born 1958, No. 8).

Coordinates: 43 ° 36 ′ 30.3 "  N , 1 ° 26 ′ 30.8"  E