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 Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.