Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges - Cathedral

The village Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, named after a bishop of the once existing diocese here,was just like neighbouring Valcabrère once part of a large Roman settlement, that may have had about 30.000 inhabitants. In the early 5th century the Vandals sacked the city, in 585 merovingian troops razed the site, that probably had the bishopric seat already at that time.

Saint Bertrand of Comminges (1073–1123) restored and fortified the town. He commissioned the erection of the cathedral. Saint Bertrand´s tomb was a center of regional pilgrimage already before he got canonized around 1220.

Pope Clement V, who had once been Bishop of this diocese, strongly promoted the pilgrimage, so that soon after the Romanesque church was to small for the many "pelerins". Between 1304 and 1352 the major part of old nave got demolished to make room for a new, larger Gothic nave.

In 1586, during the Wars of Religion, the cathedral was looted and severely damaged by the Huguenot troops. It took the next centuries to restore and repair. Saint-Bertrand´s relics were hidden during the Huguenot raids and are meanwhile back in the cathedral.

The Romanesque cloister, where the canons once praid the Divine Office, got rather damaged by the Huguenots. It got restored and there are still some very interesting carvings.

Lots of scenes are on this capital. Easy to "recognize" is a centaur / Sagittarius hunting a mermaid or maybe here a "meranimal" with bow and arrow. On the bottom I see a farmer ploughing with two oxes. Behind is a person picking something from the ground (ears?). In the center are three persons. One holds an animal, while the other seems to slaughter it. Maybe this is a hunting scene, as the log "object" under the large animal may be a dog. On the left somebody carries and object (sack?) on his shoulders.