This past weekend, I visited Toulouse, also known as "la ville rose" because of its terra-cotta brick buildings. Toulouse is about a 90 minute drive and a 2 hour train ride south of Aiguillon; it sits right next to the Garonne River and the Spanish border. I thought that Toulouse was a beautiful city and had plenty to offer to have an enjoyable time there.
The night before, I met up with another teaching assistant, Kelsey, and the following morning, we made our way to the city. One of the first stops we went to was a fine arts museum, called the Musée des Augustins. It is one of the oldest museums in France, after the Louvre and the Musée des Beaux Arts in Besançon.
The museum's medieval garden
In front of the garden
The museum's paintings are from throughout France. The top left and middle photos depict scenes of the birth and death of Jesus Christ. The top right photo (Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Augustine, 1512-1523) was done by Perugino, an Italian Renaissance painter. The bottom left photo is Romanesque sculpture. The bottom middle photo is Joseph Bail's Marmiton portant des rougets (Kitchen boy carrying red mullets), 1887. Bail was very successful with his kitchen scenes and this painting in particular was awarded a second-class medal. The Kitchen boy carrying red mullets is a sociological and human document of a child mimicking adults, smoking a cigarette. The bottom left photo is Théodule Ribot's Un gigot.
The main bridge in Toulouse, Pont Neuf, and the Garonne River.
Toulouse is known as the "pink city" (la ville rose) because it has many buildings made out of brick. Since stone quarries were far from Toulouse, builders gave priority to the use of clay.
The next site we saw was called the Couvent des Jacobins, which consists of a church known as the “Jacobins Church”, a cloister, a chapter house, a refectory, and a chapel, the Saint-Antonin chapel. It was built in just a century by the Order of Preachers, from 1230 to 1350. Its intricate vaults and tall windows are influenced by Gothic art. The church's plan is simple, like many churches in the south of France -- its high walls are supported by buttresses, its decor is limited to false stones, almost without sculptures, and it is entirely built in bricks. Since 1369, the church has housed the relics (relics of the first order) of Saint Thomas Aquinas, to whom it is consecrated. When we went to this church, we also saw a photo exposition of French artist, Jean Dieuzaide.
Continuing with the churches, we also stopped at the Saint Sernin Basilica of Toulouse. To understand the architecture and history of this church, it is pertinent to know about pilgrimages and the cult of relics. The purpose of these two religious realities was to celebrate and honor the saints and, through them, Christ brought back to life. The pilgrimages and veneration surrounding the relics could have also been a means of atoning for sometimes serious misdeeds.
This basilica is one of the type of churches known as "pilgrimage churches" due to its characteristic layout: two double aisles each side of the central nave, then an ambulatory, an arrangement that allowed pilgrims to move around without disturbing the canons' services.
In the bottom left photo, you see one of the niches that were hollowed out on the outside wall of the six bays of the ambulatory to hold the relics of the most popular saints. In the bottom right photo, you see the crypts, which also comprise of treasure: more relics of saints and shrines of apostles. Evidently, medieval faith entailed a strong awareness of the reality of sin and the powerful intercession of the saints to give thanks for blessings received.
Kelsey and I ended the day by going to Toulouse's big Christmas market (marché de Noël) in front of the Capital building (le Capitole). Here, there were many vendors selling traditional food of the region, drinks, desserts, handmade crafts, plants, and everything else you can imagine. It sure was crowded and it seemed like everyone in Toulouse was there that night!
This is one of the foods I tried: Aligot. This is a fondue-like dish made from cheese blended into mashed potatoes. Think of the meeting point between potatoes and pasta.
Another delicacy I tried that night: caramel cheesecake. I wanted a taste of home!
We ended the night with hot wine (vin chaud), also known as mulled wine, which is a warm red wine made with a lot of spices.
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