TOULOUSE
The project for a central cemetery was launched in the early 1830s, with the aim of bringing together the bones lying in several cemeteries in the city centre. The project was entrusted to the city’s young chief architect, Urbain Vitry.
He designed a cemetery on the Terre-Cabade hillside, with an English-style garden and beautiful shady paths. Inaugurated in 1840, the cemetery gradually grew to its current size of 33 hectares. It has become an aesthetic signature of the Marengo district, with a sumptuous entrance adorned with neo-Egyptian obelisks erected in brick and embellished with gilding. It has become the cemetery for all Toulousans.
Often referred to as Toulouse’s “Père Lachaise”, this tour will introduce you to the sometimes theatrical, but always dignified and moving architecture of the funerary art. You’ll also learn about the fabulous destinies of Toulousans, both well-known and lesser-known, such as Léontine de Villeneuve, known as “L’Occitanienne”, Chateaubriand’s muse, or “Saint Helena”, or the moving story of the drowned men’s plot.
Good to know:
– Visits may be cancelled if the cemetery is closed.
– Between 15/06 and 15/09, during orange and red alert periods and when the temperature is 35°C or above, the tour will be adapted and shortened to 1? hours.
