Toulouse is called La Ville Rose, or The Pink City, because of the pink colored bricks out of which the city is built. It was far easier and less expensive to build the city out of these earthy bricks than out of stone, which was rare and expensive. Personally, I think that the town is lovely. It is city enough to satisfy the shopper who prefers a life of convenience, yet its country enough to please those who want to live a quiet life at a slower pace. Its also just an hour or so drive to the real goat-roaming, hill-rolling countryside. For these, and other reasons, Toulouse is apparently considered the spot for the French to retire. Its the Florida of the US, if you will, only far more pleasing in my opinion.
There are two particularly striking monuments in this city. The first is the Basilique Saint-Sernin, a massive church that was created for those travelers by foot making a pilgrimage to Spain. Toulouse was one of the towns along the way where the Pilgrims would stop, rest, eat, sleep, and pray before continuing the next morning.
The church was magnificent from the outside. It caught me completely off guard as I was strolling down the ally enjoying the sunshine on the tour. The church has a round and pompous pink belly front and an enormous neck that cranes upwards as it looks down on you.
The inside was just as impressive. It was less shocking to see the interior, though, as it was lavishly decorated and foiled gold as many of the other "tourist-attracting" churches are.
The the Basilique Saint-Sernin was built in 1115 in the Romanesque style, so it's impressively old, but the stain glass windows sadly didn't make it. They were fragile enough that they broke and had to be replaced around the 1800s. The new, lighter windows and the more open Romanesque style make this a more pleasant church than the severe, Gothic style churches that seem to really epitomize the darkness of the Dark Ages. So, overall, it was a lovely tour with lots of interesting to look at and to learn about.
There are two particularly striking monuments in this city. The first is the Basilique Saint-Sernin, a massive church that was created for those travelers by foot making a pilgrimage to Spain. Toulouse was one of the towns along the way where the Pilgrims would stop, rest, eat, sleep, and pray before continuing the next morning.
The church was magnificent from the outside. It caught me completely off guard as I was strolling down the ally enjoying the sunshine on the tour. The church has a round and pompous pink belly front and an enormous neck that cranes upwards as it looks down on you.
The inside was just as impressive. It was less shocking to see the interior, though, as it was lavishly decorated and foiled gold as many of the other "tourist-attracting" churches are.The the Basilique Saint-Sernin was built in 1115 in the Romanesque style, so it's impressively old, but the stain glass windows sadly didn't make it. They were fragile enough that they broke and had to be replaced around the 1800s. The new, lighter windows and the more open Romanesque style make this a more pleasant church than the severe, Gothic style churches that seem to really epitomize the darkness of the Dark Ages. So, overall, it was a lovely tour with lots of interesting to look at and to learn about.