TOULOUSE
Stroll through the narrow streets of the historic centre in search of the town houses built during Toulouse’s golden age by the pastry merchants and capitouls.
Toulouse grew so much in the 14th century that it became one of the most populous and dynamic cities in the kingdom, thanks in particular to the water mills on the Garonne. Built largely of wood and cob, it was in 1463 that the city suffered the most devastating fire in its history: more than seven thousand houses went up in smoke… and paradoxically, this is where “Toulouse in the Renaissance” began!
In the heart of the historic quarter, you can follow the traces that mark the fascinating destiny of a city that rose from the ashes like a phoenix. At the end of the 15th century, certain events shook up the history of Toulouse: in the wake of the medieval university, King Charles VII decided to set up a court of justice in the form of a parliament, and then the fashion for blue fabrics among the nobility, the colour of the King and the Virgin, established a unique know-how at the heart of the triangle of blue gold.
From then on, brilliant sculptors, merchants, dyers and magistrates took advantage of the destruction caused by the fire to build this famous town of pink brick and white stone, with its sumptuous town houses, churches and even a new bridge!
The guide will lead you through the façades and gateways, deciphering the details that were to make headlines at the time: the discovery of vestiges of the great ancient Tolosa, King François I’s ‘crush’ on La Belle Paule, the surge in towers of pride… In the end, this tour of a dozen or so sites will allow you to admire the architectural developments and understand the economic context that made Toulouse a recognised centre of artistic influence!
