Dedicated to Saint Salvi, first Bishop of Albi from 574 to 584, the “Collégiale” of Saint Salvi associates elements of Romanesque (10th century) and Gothic (13th century) architecture, marked by the use of stone in the Romanesque elements and brick in the Gothic.
The “Collégiale” is a collegiate church, a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or 'secular' community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body.
Saint-Salvi presents a composite architecture associating Romanesque and Gothic styles and is one of the largest Romanesque churches in and around Albi. It was converted into a fodder store after the French Revolution but was given back to the Church at the beginning of the 19th century.
Mounted by an impressive bell and watch tower, Saint-Salvi is one of the oldest buildings in Albi. All that remains today of the cloister, built in 1270 and destroyed during the French Revolution, is the southern gallery. The church includes elements of the Romanesque (for example the semi-circular arches) and Gothic (the capitals and the decoration of the pillars).
Upon entering the church, the visitor is struck by its luminosity. The beautiful alignment of the columns opens up an infinite perspective, concentrating one’s thought upon the essential.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.