62 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
St. Sernin, Bishop of Toulouse, died circa a.d. 250,
martyred by being dragged behind a bull. His re-
mains later became the focus of a medieval cult, and
a church was raised in his honor in southwestern
France. As Toulouse became an important staging
post on the route to Santiago, the church could no
longer accommodate the large numbers of pilgrims
staying in the city and flocking to pay homage to
the martyred bishop. In the 1070s work began on
the existing structure in full Romanesque style, with
small windows topped by rounded arches. It is a
large building, with a 377-foot-long nave. Like the
cathedral at Santiago, built at the same time, Saint-
Sernin’s Romanesque design accommodates large
numbers of pilgrims. A large Romanesque chevet
(eastern part of the church) enabled the building of
an ambulatory to allow pilgrims to walk around the
high altar and venerate relics without interrupting
Mass. Aspidal chapels provided space for pilgrims
to meditate and pray.
62 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
RENÉ MATTES/CORDON PRESSSAINT-SERNIN:
BIGGER AND BETTER
THE AMBULATORY
AND ASPIDAL CHAPELS
OF THE 11TH-CENTURY
BASILICA OF SAINT-
SERNIN, TOULOUSE