The catedral St.Etienne by Klod5
Many historian assigns the first building to St.-Exupere that is to the origin of the construction of St.-Sernin in the V th century. In the XI th century, bishop Isarn undertakes the reconstruction of the cathedral.
Of the XIII th century subsists the nave, to three bays, so-called " raymondine ", because its construction is assigned to Raymond VI following his absolution June 18, 1209 in the abbey of St.-Gilles.
The facade of 1230 is endowed with a duplicate portal, constructed by Sailor Baudry in the XV th century.I don't like the cathedral St.-Etienne for several reasons :
- It has been constructed then revised at very different times, and the successive builders don't seem to have worried of what had been constructed before. The result is this nave that is not in the axis of the apse, of the styles so different (of the Romane to the Gothic and to the Baroque...) that one doesn't know anymore where our reference marks are. Is it to wonder how the believers find again in this place, to what holy to vow themselves ?
- The cathedral is also the place of cult of the upper middle class toulousian. At the time of certain commemorations the access to this place of cult is filtered more or less so that the gratin of the society, those that take themselves for the elite (the Toulouse of in top, according to a famous expression) are not obliged to undergo the people's presence.
My feeling for this monument is therefore of the to artistic and architectural considerations, but as sociological and political.
