The Basilica of St. Sernin was built in Toulouse, France in 1080. The St. Sernin got its name from the first bishop and martyr, Saturnin, who refused to worship pagan gods. Because of this, he was dragged down the main street by bulls until he was dead. St. Sernin was one of the churches on a main pilgrimage route and saw many visitors each year, partly due to its relics.
The cruciform church is in the Romanesque style, made of brick like basilicas in the Late Roman period. The front of the church appears Roman, a solid and sturdy structure. This basilican plan is much larger than earlier Christian churches and it was not constructed in stone like most Roman structures. The vaulted ceilings also stray from the first Christian churches. There is a tower that was added after its construction, which stands above the transept and the crossing square. There are five tiers on the tower, the bottom three are Romanesque arches, the top two are from a later period, and the spire on top gives it a Gothic style.
St. Sernin consists of nine different chapels, five off of the apse and four in the transepts. The relics that were given to the church by Charlemagne are housed in radiating chapels off the side of the structure and there are double aisles on each side of the nave. The double aisles serve as an ambulatory, a walkway around the nave so that people can view the relics in the side chapels without interrupting a ceremony.Sources:
http://pmaude.free.fr/Sernin/Anglais/presentation.htm
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/toulouse-st-sernin
