Notre-Dame de la Daurade is a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It was established in 410 when Emperor Honorius allowed the conversion of pagan temples to Christianity. The original building of Notre-Dame de la Daurade was a temple dedicated to

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

History

During the 5th or 6th century a church was erected, decorated with golden

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s; the current name derives from the antique name, “Deaurata”, ( la, aura, gold). Linguistic evidence from inscriptions that accompanied the mosaics suggest that the church was in use by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

, who adhered to Arian Christianity, before coming into Catholic hands following the

Battle of Vouillé The Battle of Vouillé (from Latin ''Campus Vogladensis'') was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at Vouillé, near Poitiers (Gaul), in the spring of 507 between the Franks, commanded by Clovis, and the Visigoths, comman ...

in 507. It became a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery during the 9th century. After a period of decline starting in the 15th century, the basilica was demolished in 1761 to make way for the construction of Toulouse's riverside quays. The buildings were restored and a new church built, but the monastery was closed during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, becoming a tobacco factory. The basilica had housed the shrine of a

Black Madonna The term ''Black Madonna'' or ''Black Virgin'' tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. The Black Madonna can be found both ...

. The original icon was stolen in the fifteenth century, and its first replacement was burned by Revolutionaries in 1799 on the

Place du Capitole 300px, The Capitole back side The Capitole de Toulouse ( oc, Capitòli de Tolosa, link=no; ), commonly known as the ''Capitole'', is the heart of the municipal administration of the French city of Toulouse and its city hall. __NOTOC__ Hi ...

. The icon presented today is an 1807 copy of the fifteenth century Madonna. Blackened by the hosts of candles, the second Madonna has been known since the sixteenth century as Notre Dame La Noire. The current edifice was built during the 19th century. The church has been listed as a '' Monument historique'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

; its organ has also been classified. Visigothic column from Notre Dame de la Daurade Toulouse carved 400 600 CE.jpg, Column from Notre-Dame de la Daurade, 5th century Seven sided sanctuary of Notre Dame de la Daurade with niches.jpg, Seven-sided sanctuary of Notre Dame de la Daurade, with niches decorated with columns. Vierge noire de Toulouse.jpg, Altar of

of Toulouse Vierge noire de Toulouse 2.jpg,

of Toulouse Notre-Dame de la Daurade - Orgues.jpg, Gallery organ Notre-Dame de la Daurade - Orgues Choeur.jpg, Choir organ Notre-Dame de de la Daurade - Fonts baptismaux.jpg, Baptismal font. Basilique Notre-Dame la Daurade, Fonts Baptismaux.jpg, Baptismal font. St Antoine de Padoue, Basilique Notre-Dame la Daurade.jpg, Anthony of Padua

History

Notes

Further reading