Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse

The Basilique Saint-Sernin is recognizable by its towering, eight-sided bell tower that shifts from square brickwork at the base to rounded stone arches near the top. Built as a major stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, it housed the relics of Saint Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse. In the late eleventh century, the monks dragged the martyr’s body through the streets, and crowds gathered so quickly that the city had to start construction on this massive scale to accommodate them.