The largest remaining Romanesque church in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the 11th–12th centuries in warm pink brick, it has a soaring nave with five aisles, elaborate carved stone capitals, and a famous portal carved with scenes of the Last Judgement. The octagonal bell tower, with its five tiers of arched windows, is the defining landmark of the Toulouse skyline. The crypt holds relics of Saint Saturninus and various apostles. Free entry to the nave; small fee for the crypt and ambulatory.
Basilique Saint-Sernin
Europe's largest surviving Romanesque church
A story
For centuries pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago stopped here to venerate the relics of Saint Saturninus and eleven apostles — making it one of the most important pilgrimage churches in medieval Europe. The ambulatory was designed specifically to let the faithful file past the shrines without disturbing mass at the altar.