oc, Glèisa de Nòstra Dòna del Taur , image = 31 - Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Facade.jpg , caption = Façade of Notre-Dame du Taur: ''clocher-mur'' , coordinates = , country = , location =

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country' ...

, , address = 12 rue du Taur , denomination =

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, website = , former name =
, dedication =

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, earlydedication =

Saturnin Saint Saturnin of Toulouse ( la, Saturninus, oc, Sarnin, french: Saturnin, Sernin, ca, Serni, Sadurní, gl, Sadurninho and pt, Saturnino, Sadurninho, eu, Satordi, Saturdi, Zernin, and es, Saturnino, Serenín, Cernín) was one of the ''" ...

, status = Filial church , functional status = Active , architectural type =

Hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...

, style = Meridional Gothic
Brick Gothic , years built = 14^th–16^th centuries , length nave = , width nave = , height = , height nave = , materials = Brick , bells = 13 , parish = Basilica of St-Sernin , archdiocese =

, embedded = Notre-Dame du Taur is a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

located in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. According to legend, the edifice was built on the exact spot where the body of Saint Saturnin (Sernin), patron saint of Toulouse, became detached from the bull that dragged the martyr to his death. The church stands in the rue du Taur between the Capitole and the Basilica of St. Sernin. It has been classified as a historic monument since 1840.

Etymologies

Notre Dame, Our Lady, is one of the epithets given to Mary, the mother of Jesus, by some Christians, especially Catholics. Sernin, as in Saint Sernin to whom Notre-Dame du Taur was originally dedicated, derives from the Latin name Saturninus. Taur, bull, the instrument of the

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

of Saint Sernin, derives from Latin ''taurus'', and is cognate with Standard French ''taureau''.

History

The church of Notre-Dame du Taur occupies the site where, according to legend, the body of Saint Saturnin, first bishop of Toulouse, martyred in 250, became detached from the bull that had dragged him to his death. The body was buried where it fell, and an oratory was constructed.Jean-Claude Guidarini,
Grand Orgue de l’église Notre-Dame du Taur (Toulouse)
, ''Toulouse Les Orgues''. Toulouse being an important stage on one of the main routes of pilgrimage to the shrine of

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

, pilgrims would pause to honor the saint at his tomb. Eventually, their numbers became so great that in the 11th century, a larger church was built to accommodate them, the present-day

Basilica of Saint-Sernin The Basilica of Saint-Sernin (Occitan: ''Basilica de Sant Sarnin'') is a church in Toulouse, France, the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin or St Saturnin. Apart from the church, none of the abbey buildings remain. The current churc ...

, to which Saturnin's bones were also transferred."Notre-Dame du Taur"
pamphlet created with Pastorale des Réalités du Tourisme et des Loisirs. The present building, originally Saint-Sernin du Taur, was constructed between the 14th and 16th centuries. In 1783 a gatehouse in Toulouse's city wall was demolished, and the statue of the Virgin Mary, which had been located in an oratory there was moved to Saint-Sernin du Taur, which accordingly then took the name Notre-Dame du Taur.
, site officiel de la Paroisse et de la Basilique Saint Sernin de Toulouse, 2 September 2016. (Lavaur) Clocher de l'Eglise du Taur (Toulouse) - Henri Rachou - HsT 80x60.jpg , 19th-century painting by Henri Rachou Church of St Taur, Toulouse = Eglise de Saint-Taur, Toulouse = St Taur Kirche, Toulouse - Fonds Ancely - B315556101 A ALLOM 1 021.jpg, Interior, by

Thomas Allom Thomas Allom (13 March 1804 – 21 October 1872) was an English architect, artist, and topographical illustrator. He was a founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He designed many buildings in London, i ...

Building

The building is constructed of pinkish brick in the Southern French Gothic style, by choice more modest and less ornate than Northern Gothic. The facade takes the form known in the region as a clocher-mur, bell tower wall, and served as the model for many country churches in the area. Each end of the facade is topped with a small hexagonal tower, while across the upper level between the towers runs a row of crenelations.Église Notre-Dame-du-Taur
, ''Musique et Musiciens'', 1997–2013. The interior comprises a single aisle under a ribbed

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

. This ends at a

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

which opens into two apsidal chapels at the east end of the church. A

pietà The Pietà (; meaning " pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form ...

is located in the north chapel, and a statue of Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary in the south chapel. The wooden statue of Mary, Notre Dame, from which the church took its name, is displayed in the centre of the apse where it is immediately visible as one enters the church.

Decoration

Above the altar in the south chapel can be seen a painting by the 19th-century Toulouse artist Bernard Bénézet, the martyrdom of Saint Saturnin and the Glorification of the Virgin. In the north chapel, a Death of Saint Joseph is by the same artist. On the north wall of the nave another 19th-century painting representing the martyrdom of Saturninus is the work of Jean-Louis Bézard, while a 14th-century painting of the genealogy of Saint Joseph in 38 figures survives on the south wall. The wrought iron altar rail dates from 1778. Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Interieur.jpg, Interior Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Grilles.jpg, Altar rail Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Fonts.jpg, Baptismal font Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Notre-Dame du rempart.jpg, ''Notre-Dame du Rempart'' Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - L'éducation de la Vierge par saint Anne PM31001426.jpg, ''The education of the Virgin'' by

Artus Legoust Artus Legoust (Arthur Legoust) is a French sculptor (1580?, Bourges, 1630? Toulouse). He was the most notable sculptor in Toulouse in the 17th century. His active years span between 1607 and 1629 during which he provided many altarpieces and ta ...

Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - La généalogie de Jacob XIVe siécle.jpg, ''The genealogy of Jacob '', 14th-century fresco Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Le martyre de Saint Saturnin par Jean-Louis BÉZARD.jpg, "The martyrdom of Saint Saturnin", by Jean-Louis Bézard

Organ

When it was built, the organ of Notre-Dame du Taur was considered "''le plus novateur et le plus riche des orgues de Toulouse, mais aussi de tout le Sud de la France''" (). It was built in 1880 by Eugène Puget, and has been classified as a historical monument since September 25, 1987. Recitals of the festival of Toulouse les Orgues take place there frequently. Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Orgue de tribune.jpg, Gallery organ Puget ND du Taur - claviers.jpg, Keyboard of the gallery organ. Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Orgue de Choeur.jpg, Choir organ.

References

{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Toulouse