Saint Salvi Church, Albi, France

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:

Albi City

User Reviews

WS Lim (2 years ago)
Hidden small garden

Gabriella (3 years ago)
Beautiful spot with beautiful views! It has a small garden with a huge variety of aromatic herbs and smells incredible!

Mark Lynch (3 years ago)
A small cloister and medieval church worth visiting. Many visitors were enjoying the quiet, reading books sitting under the cloister canopy.

Marco (4 years ago)
A delightful church that will take you back in time. Very enjoyable is the internal courtyard and the passage under their portici.

Shivesh Karan (5 years ago)
Beautiful church located very close to the cathedral.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

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Saint Salvi Church

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