Castelsarrasin - Saint Saveur

The first mention of Castelsarrasin dates back to 961, when Count Raymond I of Rouergue bequeathed the Saint-Sauveur church to the Moissac monastery.

With its castle and fortifications, Castelsarrasin became an important fortress in the county of Toulouse. During the Middle Ages, the city and area were ravaged by wars.

In 1320, during the Shepherds' Crusade (Croisade des pastoureaux), many Jews sought refuge in Castelsarrasin. A Jewish author told, that
200 Jews there took their own lives when they realized that they could not escape their persecutors. According to a Latin source, it was the Pastoureaux who massacred 152 Jews, not just at Castelsarrasin but also in neighboring localities.

The Saint-Sauveur church, already mentioned in 961, was rebuilt in 1254 due to the growth of the population. Priory of Moissac Abbey until 1626, it remained the most important of the churches in the diocese of Bas-Montauban until the 1789 Revolution. It is built entirely of brick in the style of the early Gothic architecture of southern France.-

Two very exotic faces on the choir stalls. The worldwide missionary work opened churches to such strange icons.