Saints and angels

To embark on a path of pious contemplation, St Aquinas rejected his aristocratic upbringing and embraced a life of untainted chastity, discovers Eileen Reid

SURROUNDED by the Occitanie countryside of southern France, ‘La Ville Rose’ (more commonly known as Toulouse) is predominantly constructed in terracotta brick and, at sunset, the buildings glow a spectacular rose-gold hue. Down a blush-pink backstreet in the heart of the city is the Dominican Church of the Jacobins and here, beside the altar, is a surprisingly small golden reliquary that entombs the remains of a colossal man—both physically and intellectually: the great philosopher and theologian, St Thomas Aquinas. Legend has it that, after his death in 1274, Aquinas’s corpse was boiled to separate flesh from bone and an arm was removed (to be given to his sister), together with two skulls: one is believed to be preserved in Priverno, Italy, and the other in Toulouse. Brilliant as he was,…

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Country Life (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 26, 2025

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