Couvent des Jacobins de Toulouse

Toulouse

Founded by Saint Dominic in 1215 as the cradle of the Dominican order, the convent of the Jacobins was built in brick between 1230 and 1385 in the purest Southern Gothic style. Its church is famous for the "palm tree", a vault of radiating ribs springing from a single central column 28 metres high, a technical feat unique of its kind. Pope Urban V had the relics of Saint Thomas Aquinas transferred here in 1369; moved to Saint-Sernin during the Revolution, in 1791, they did not return to the convent until 1974. The complex also housed the old University of Toulouse, founded in 1229, until the Revolution.

Getting there : Listed as a monument historique (historic monument); open to the public, cloister and church can be visited all year round

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound