Inside the Basilica of Saint Sernin in Toulouse

The Basilica of Saint Sernin is a magnificent structure. It is considered to be the largest Romanesque building in Europe and possibly the world. The arches at the entrance of the basilica certainly give that characteristic Romanesque look. From the outside, the basilica looks massive and has a heavy look, no doubt caused by the arches. It also has that characteristic rose windows which are quite common in Romanesque churches. I was lucky that the sun was out at that time, allowing me some good lighting for photographing the basilica. I was expecting that there would be a lot of people here at the basilica but it doesn’t seem to be the popular destination that I thought it would be.

The interior of the basilica is a continuation of the Romanesque design which can be seen outside. There are numerous arches leading all the way to the altar. Compared to gothic churches, this one seemed a little brighter, no doubt helped along by the windows at ground level. For all its massiveness, there didn’t seem to be a lot of seats for worshipers. There are two columns of seats here which I would consider small when compared to the size of the basilica. I won’t speculate as to the number of worshipers here in Toulouse but it would be sad to think that their number won’t require more seats here.

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