This is the building that most represents the Pink City. This neo-classical building gave its name to the Place du Capitole, the focal point of Toulouse. It houses the town hall and the Capitole theatre. Its ceremonial rooms are filled with frescoes, mouldings and gilding. The Salle des Illustres bears witness to the splendour of this period.
The Jacobins convent is another of the town's characteristic monuments. A former convent of the Dominican friars, it dates back to the 13th century and its Southern Gothic architecture makes it a majestic building. With a vaulted choir in the shape of a palm tree almost 30 metres high, coloured stained glass windows that let the light through and a cloister with a garden where you can relax and recharge your batteries.
One of the largest Romanesque buildings in the West, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A stopover on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, it boasts a magnificent vaulted nave beneath its octagonal bell tower. Built between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, it is open to visitors and still has many relics in its crypt, which you can tour.
During the Renaissance, the town, enriched by the woad trade, saw the construction of sumptuous residences, including the Hôtel d'Assézat.
The sumptuous main courtyard is the setting for the two facades, which are punctuated by antique columns and linked by the stair tower. Nicolas Bachelier, the architect, worked for a number of Toulouse families. The building, bequeathed to the city of Toulouse in 1895, is home to academies and learned societies, including the Jeux Floraux, founded in 1323.
