Thomas Aquinas famous as scholar and preacher

A great writer, teacher, this saint was known for his purity of mind

St. Thomas Aquinas – January 28

- WCR photo by Ted Fitzgerald The altar and reliquary reflect the quiet sanctity of St. Thomas Aquinas in Les Jacobins.

By TED FITZGERALD
Special to the WCR
Toulouse, France

Much interest was occasioned in 1974 in the southern French city of Toulouse when the relics of one of the great teachers of the Dominican order were returned from exile in the Saint-Sernin Basilica to the city's next most prominent house of God.

The Jacobin convent church had again become a shrine to St. Thomas Aquinas, 13th century stalwart of the Order of Preachers, founded in this historic city in 1217.

Prominent in the story of the Church, the Dominican order was first organized here by its founder Dominic de Guzman. His philosophy was, that through rigorous theological education of its monks, the power of preaching rather than intimidation would serve to make converts.

Les Jacobins

Today, his life and that of the order is remembered here in the Couvent des Jacobins, or familiarly Les Jacobins, the title of the church originating from the site of another of Dominic's establishments that was situated on Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris.

Toulouse, capital of the department of Haute-Garonne, was founded in Roman times on the Garonne River and has long enjoyed a reputation as a religious centre.

Dominican home

Following the recognition of their order, Dominicans resided in the city's Saint-Romain Parish until their first home was built in 1230 and consecrated four years later. Dominic, who had passed away in 1221 at age 51, didn't live to see the impressive edifice that present-day pilgrims enjoy.

Over the years, the church was enlarged several times, but fell victim to the French Revolution, and for many years was used by the French army until deemed unfit as a structure. Fortunately, by the 1970s it had been restored to its original form under the direction of Prosper Merimee of the Historical Monuments Commission.

The size and architectural style of the great church can be appreciated when viewed from the relaxing green spaces of the partially restored convent cloisters.

Made of the soft reddish brick that Toulouse is famous for, the nave walls rise to culminate in the distinctive, many-tiered octagonal bell tower, a near duplicate of that at the city's most prestigious house of God, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin.

Inside the convent church, most visitors are immediately impressed with the great height of the building and its air of spaciousness. It's an unusual plan in having two equal-sized naves separated lengthwise by an impressive row of plain, tall columns.

A place of preaching

The interior was deliberately designed to avoid the distraction of decoration since the primary purpose of the church was for preaching, one nave for the public, the other for the monks.

Centred alone in the north nave is the prize of the Jacobin church, a simple altar that shelters the relics of the great Dominican saint, Thomas Aquinas.

Despite his reputation as a great writer and teacher at several European universities, Thomas was noted for his humility and prayerfulness.

He died en route to a council in Lyons in 1274 and was canonized a short 50 years later.

He was declared a doctor of the Church and since 1880 has been recognized as patron of Catholic schools.

The saint is sometimes portrayed in Church art with a star on his chest, symbolic of his purity of mind and elevated purposes.

His feast day commemorates the date in 1368 when his relics arrived at Les Jacobins (they were later moved for safe-keeping to Saint-Sernin during the revolution).

Pleas for intercession

His Toulouse shrine welcomes a steady stream of those who, kneeling at the reliquary, present their pleas for intercession through the holy saint before visiting the large, busy gift/book shop at the front of the church for meditative and spiritual aids.

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