Ensemble conventuel des Jacobins

The Basilica of Notre-Dame la Daurade, was completely rebuilt at the end of the 18th century on the site of one of the oldest churches of Toulouse, which was probably the chapel of Visigothic kings. Seat of a Benedictine abbey, it was lined with mills until the end of the 14th century and overlooked the main bridge of Toulouse from the 12th to the 17th century, the bridge of the Daurade. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1963.

Our Lady of Taur, built between the fourteenth and sixteenth century, was originally dedicated to the first bishop of Toulouse, Saturnin. The martyred bishop was dragged down the Capitol, tied to the tail of a bull (hence the name "Taur" which means bull).

The construction of the church began in 1602; the Carthusian brothers, driven out of the Carthusian monastery of Notre-Dame de Bellevue de Saïx (near Castres) by the Protestants, decided to build a monastery within the walls of Toulouse. After the fall of the first dome in 1609, the building was raised. The church was consecrated by Cardinal François de Sourdis on 20 May 1612. After the Revolution, the monks are expelled and the convent is transformed into an arsenal. Only the church, the former pharmacy, parts of the hotel (including a remarkable brick exterior corridor) and part of the cloister remain today. In 2001, the shock wave caused by the explosion of the AZF factory in the south of the town shook the walls of the church, forcing reinforcement work to be carried out. Some superficial cracks due to this episode are still visible. The church was first of all dedicated to the Virgin and to Saint Paul of Thebes, one of the first hermits and an important figure for the Carthusian monks.