St.-Bertrand-de-Comminges (Haute-Garonne) - l'Église

            The Postcard

A postally unused carte postale that was published by Labouche Frères of Toulouse. The card has a divided back.

Church of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges

The church of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges is a former Roman Catholic cathedral in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, Haute-Garonne, southwestern France. 

Description

On entering the nave, three distinct architectural styles can be seen at the same time:

-- The Romanesque part from the 12th. century.
-- The Gothic part from the 14th. century commissioned by Bertrand de Goth.
-- The Renaissance part, as well as the organ from the 16th. century.

The Nave

There is a single nave that is 55m long, 16m wide and 28m high. Over the arrow arches there are coats of arms of the founding bishops. The stained glass windows are impressive with their intricate details, and comparable to those of Auch.

The narthex ends in two huge pillars, each with a circumference of 11.45m. Over the northern and southern walls are Romanesque arches, the floor is made of marble, and includes tombs and sepulchres.

The Cloister

The cloister offers an impressive view over the entire valley. It is a small cloister, featuring double pillars with elaborately carved capitals and round arches above a pebbled walkway.  The 12th. century cloister is however in a sad state of decay, with many of the details being quite unrecognizable. 

The capitals which are large and disproportioned are carved with scrolls and figures, and rest on coupled columns, except that in one case the pier is composed of the four evangelists placed back to back against a central shaft, each holding in his arms the apocalyptic beast which is his emblem.

The Choir and Stalls

The stalls within the choir were commissioned by Jean de Mauléon, but because of the lack of documents it is impossible to name the carpenter who made them. 

However, by comparison with other churches, the stalls are often considered to be the work of Nicolas Bachelier, or at least of his school which used artists from France, Spain and Italy. Most of the work was done in oak and walnut.

The choir seems to be distinct from the rest of the church in that it contrasts so much with the Gothic and Romanesque parts.

The sixty-seven stalls represent characters from both the Old and the New Testaments, including scenes such as 'temptation', 'envy' and 'lust'.

The Crocodile

Bizarrely, there is a stuffed crocodile inside the church. This fact, as well as a general description of the building itself and details of its history, features prominently in Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book, a ghost story by M. R. James.

UNESCO

The former cathedral has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

Taken on: July 6, 2022

Tags:

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Comminges

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Labouche

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Sets appears in: • France

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