St Sernin Research Paper

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HISTORY St Sernin was built in Toulouse, France and was named after Saint Saturninus, the first bishop of Toulouse. The St Sernin chapel was built in the twelfth century and is the largest Romanesque building in Europe. The chapel takes the shape of a crucifix. It is thought that St Sernin was the model for the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The Chapel also played a small role in unifying France during the crusades of the time. PURPOSE Due to the ever-growing population of Toulouse, as well as pilgrims needing a place to pray on their way to spain, the city decided to build a larger chapel that could fit the needs of many different people. Pilgrims were instantly attracted to it. Tourists poured into it to pray while they were on their way to the Spanish Shrine to pray as well. The church was also built to commemorate the first bishop of the city, Saint Saturninus, who was modestly buried not far from the chapel. DESIGN The design of St Sernin was Romanesque. The main feature of romanesque buildings were the barrel-and-groin vaults. St Sernin has about seventeen chapels shaped like pentagons, all connected by small passageways. The church also had a chantry, which …show more content…

Most of the chapels inside of the church laid on the perimeter of the church, leaving plenty of space for people to fill in the middle. The church had a large central nave, or area that is meant to hold most of the congregation. The church also had two large aisles for better navigation and flow of the building. The building also had a very large tower extending from the beginning of the building so people on their way to Spain would easily be able to recognize and find the church. The building did not have a flat roof, which was common for its type of plan. Many of the arches within the building were decorated with human and animal heads. Near the tower, many windows were placed so that the chapels within the church would be bathed with

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