been destroyed, except for the capitulary, the chapel of St. Antonin, with important
murals in italianate style, and two wings of the cloister.
Other medieval churches in Toulouse include the cathedral of Saint-Étienne and
Notre-Dame-du-Taur. The former was rebuilt in 1211, with a wide aisleless nave; its late
13th-century choir shows the influence of northern Gothic. Saint-Étienne is particularly
noteworthy for its lack of symmetry: the choir does not align with the nave, nor does the
western rose align with the portal below. The church of Notre-Dame-du-Taur was
constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries to replace the church erected on the spot where
St. Sernin was dragged to death by the bull (OFr. taur).
William W.Kibler
[See also: ALBIGENSIAN CRUSADE; CATHARS; FOLQUET DE MARSELHA;
LANGUEDOC; SAINT-GILLES]
Durliat, Marcel. Saint-Sernin de Toulouse. Toulouse: Eche, 1986.
Gilles, Henri. Les coutumes de Toulouse (1286) et leur premier commentaire (1296). Toulouse:
Espic, 1969.
Mundy, John H. Liberty and Political Power in Toulouse (1050–1230). New York: Columbia
University Press, 1954.
——. The Repression of Catharism at Toulouse: The Royal Diploma of 1279. Toronto: Pontifical
Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1985.
Rey, Raymond. La cathédrale de Toulouse. Paris: Laurens, 1929.
Wolff, Philippe. Commerces et marchands de Toulouse (vers 1350-vers 1450). Paris: Plon, 1954.
——. Histoire de Toulouse. Toulouse: Privat, 1974.
TOURNAI
. The oldest city in present-day Belgium, Tournai (Hainaut) was founded by the Romans
as Turris Nerviorum and became the cradle of the Merovingian dynasty. It was
evangelized by St. Piat in the 3rd century and, because of its key position controlling the
lower Scheldt River, it became the first capital of the Salian Franks (ca. 431–40). French
kings looked to Tournai as the cradle of their monarchy, for it was the birthplace of
Clovis in 465, and Childeric died there in 481. However, it lost some prestige when
Clovis transferred his capital to Soissons in 486. Philip II Augustus visited Tournai in
1187, when it was at the height of its wealth and prestige, thanks to its tapestry and
stonecarving industries, to gain the support of the local bishop. He granted the city
charters in 1188 and 1211, ensuring its independence under the protection of the French
monarchy. It was the only city in Belgium that remained loyal to France throughout the
Hundred Years’ War, even sending gold to aid Jeanne d’Arc during her captivity.
In Merovingian times, then again in the 13th century, Tournai was an important
metalworking center. In the Carolingian period, its abbey of Elnone was one of the most
famous centers of Carolingian manuscript illumination and production. From the 12th
century, the fine-grained local grey stone was widely exported, both in its natural state
and sculpted. In the late-medieval period, Tournai was the birthplace of the important
painters Robert Campin (d. 1444) and Rogier van der Weyden (1399/ 1400–1464).
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