The Church Saint Salvi of Giroussens !!

Posted in Europe, France

I am back in my road warrior mored in one of my favorite regions of my belle France, this is deep Tarn dept 81 in region of Occitanie. As I do every couple of years as cousins are around and came into this picturesque town. This is new text and links with older pictures for you and me, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Church Saint Salvi of Giroussens !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The village of Giroussens sits above the Agout valley between Lavaur, Graulhet and Saint-Sulpice –la-Pointe at about 40 km from Toulouse. The village was originally located 1 km from its current location. We came from Graulhet as family cousins are there on the D681 road but you can come from Toulouse on the A68 (autoroute de pastels) and get off at sortie/exit no 7 direction Giroussens/Glaulhet and then on the D12 direction Graulhet to Giroussens ; about 11 km.

The Church of Saint-Salvi dates from the 14C. It consists of a four-span nave with arched warheads and a polygonal five-part choir. Three chapels are present in the spans. The façade is surmounted by a steeple-wall. The Church has furniture of altarpieces and paintings from the 17C and 18C. The chapel in the north is dedicated to Sainte Rufine, patron saint of potters and has a altarpiece of 1637. The walls of the nave are covered with wall painting by Fernand Augé (1896) and Paul Prouho (1900). The original Gothic portal is then moved from the south wall to the west gable. This is the only vestige of the 13C church. The original church occupied the same location and was surrounded by the parish cemetery. It had two chapels forming, with the sanctuary a Latin cross. It was flanked by a square bell tower serving as a sachristy and a single door at the end of the south wall. The Church Saint Salvi is a Gothic monument, built at the end of the 13C by the abbots of Saint Salvi of Albi. Located within the fortified bastide of Giroussens, whose foundation dates back to 1250, this religious building underwent the wars of religion by being burnt down in 1562 by the Protestants of Lavaur. During its reconstruction at the end of the 15C, the most imposing walls could be preserved, the collapsed vaults were redone in bricks with a few sandstone stones. The choir is made up of a Minervois pink marble ; the altar as well as a altarpiece installed in the early 17C. This altarpiece will then be transformed around 1740 to accommodate paintings representing the crucifixion, resurrection and ascent. In 1638, after the birth of the Dauphin of France, the Church Saint Salvi was embellished with statues of the Virgin and Saint Joseph, they are made of gilded wood. 

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In 1790 the clergy of Giroussens included a parish priest and 3 vicars who did not take the oath of the French revolution were killed. In 1791 a sworn priest was sent to Giroussens as the new parish priest, but the clergy, determined to ignore him, remained there, occupying the curial house and continuing the celebration of worship. In 1794, the church is closed and transformed into “Temple of Reason”. Certain statues were removed and hidden then restored at the end of the 19C ,but all the altar ornaments were sent to the cast iron. In 1804 the resumption of worship., and from 1825-1836 the rather dilapidated church was restored and refurnished. In 1856 the new sacristies surrounding the choir were built. The large bell and the small bell are dated 1870. The middle bell of 1822.

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The Catholic diocese of Albi on the Church Saint Salvi : https://albi.catholique.fr/eglises-du-tarn/giroussens-eglise-saint-salvi/

The Heritage Association of Giroussens on the church : https://patrimoine.giroussens81.fr/saint-salvy/

The village of Giroussens on its heritage: https://giroussens81.fr/tourisme/a-voir-a-faire-a-giroussens/

There  you go folks, another dandy in my belle France, and wonderful territory of many memories , always looking forward to be back in these lands. A small village but loaded! Again, hope you have enjoy the post on the Church Saint Salvi of Giroussens 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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