The Church Notre Dame du Bourg of Rabastens !!!

Posted in Europe, France

Another dandy in wonderful nostalgic Tarn dept 81 of the Occitanie region of my belle France. We have come here several times and on my road warrior mode gone to many towns all wonderful and most already mentioned in my blog. Rabastens, sits half way between Toulouse and Gaillac on the D988 or old N88 road, easily done and parking by the long promenade in city center close to Hotel de Ville. One more nice one is the Church Notre Dame du Bourg of Rabastens !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The must church in town and listed on the route to Santiago or the road to St James de Compostela is Notre Dame du Bourg, it has wonderful stained glass paintings showing the religious life real or legendary of James the Mayor or St James. The oldest part dates from the 13C completely done in red brick.It is ,also , listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the Routes of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle in France since 1998.

A bit of history I like tell us that during the 12C, a Roman priory was built in Rabastens by the Benedictine monks from the abbey of Moissac. Strongly deteriorated during the Albigensian crusade, the church was rebuilt from the Treaty of Meaux-Paris and the return of peace. The Romanesque portal is preserved but the rest is built in brick according to the Southern Gothic style. The construction took about two centuries. During the Wars of Religion, the monument was looted and transformed into a guardhouse. The statues, furniture and goldsmiths are scattered. After the return to Catholic worship, the church was entrusted to the Jesuits. A chapter was founded in 1547. A restoration began which would last until the 18C. During the French revolution of 1789, the church suffered further damage. It was restored again in the 19C. On this occasion, the northern turret of the bell tower was built in symmetry with the other, from the 16C. Murals are brought to light under the successive plasters. The restorations continued until 1889, with the redevelopment of the south chapels of the nave.

A bit on the construction/architecture I like tell us that the Notre-Dame de Bourg ‘Church was built between 1230 and 1260 on the initiative of the Benedictine monks of Moissac, present at the priory in the 12C. It has a large, rectangular nave, with four arched spans of warheads and entirely in bricks, according to the model of the Saint-Étienne cathedral in Toulouse. In the 14C, prior Bernard Latour decided to add a polygonal chorus to the nave.  Being located on the pilgrimage route of Puy-en-Velay to Santiago de Compostela, the Church will be embellished with frescoes illustrating different episodes of the real or legendary life of St James the Mayor or Santiago el Mayor de Compostela.The town of Rabastens was a stopover town for pilgrims as evidenced by the Saint-Jacques Hospital and the Jacquaire heritage of the city.

The Church Notre Dame du Bourg  is built on the western bank of the Tarn which flows below. It is separated from it by the collegiate buildings and the ramparts. Th e Roman remains of the early church are reduced to the entrance portal with eight carved capitals. It is vaulted with ribs and divided into four bays. The east is closed by the choir made up of a bay and a 5-sided apse. A rose window surmounts the portal on the west facade.

rabastens ch notre dame du bourg front jul10

Inside Notre Dame du Bourg Church ,on the right chapel there is the tomb of Jean Auguste de Chastenet de Puységur, bishop of Saint-Omer on June 29, 1775, then bishop of Carcassonne in 1778. In 1788, he became archbishop of Bourges and primate of Aquitaine. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly at the Estates General of 1789. The stele recalling that the heart of Marie-Jean Hercule de Chastenet de Puységur, captain of the bodyguard of Monsieur the king’s brother (future Charles X) and brother of the previous one is also in this chapel. In 1860 were discovered fragments of 14C paintings depicting subjects borrowed from the life of the Virgin, and swastika decorations. The altarpiece of the high altar represents the Assumption of Mary. There are oil on canvas portraits by an anonymous author dated 1644 in a left chapel such as Saint Roch cared for by an angel; in the sacristy of Saint Jerome in the desert an anonymous author of the 17C; in the chapel of the blue penitents An Adoration of the Shepherds oil on canvas anonymous from the 17C; and Saint John the Baptist in prayer these three paintings are exhibited at the Musée du Pays Rabastinois. The tribune organ on the eastern counter-facade by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll dates from 1866.

Rabastens ch Notre Dame du Bourg pulpit on angels jul10

 The official Parrish of Saint Vincent de Paul on the Church Notre Dame du Bourg :  https://saint-sulpice-rabastens-salvagnac.catholique.fr/patrimoine/les-eglises/les-eglise-de-la-paroisse-saint-vincent-de-paul/eglise-notre-dame-du-bourg-de-rabastens/

The Tarn dept 81 tourist office on the church : https://www.tourisme-tarn.com/uk/patrimoine-culturel/church-of-notre-dame-du-bourg/

The Local La Toscane Occitane tourist office on the Church : https://www.la-toscane-occitane.com/en/visiter/villes-villages/rabastens/notre-dame-du-bourg/

The roads of Santiago world heritage site on the church : http://www.cheminscompostelle-patrimoinemondial.fr/fr/composantes/eglise-notre-dame-du-bourg-12

A Panoramic visit webpage on the Church Notre Dale du Bourg de Rabastens(beautiful) : https://www.visites-panoramiques.com/Eglise-Notre-Dame-du-Bourg-de-Rabastens.html

There you go folks, another dandy monument of my belle France that must be visited. This is a wonderful church, worth the detour, me think.  Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Church Notre Dame du Bourg of Rabastens !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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