Church of Saint-Pierre des Cuisines

This first-rate historical building in Toulouse reveals an exciting and unprecedented chronological stratification in a place that is today dedicated to music and dance. The descent of a few steps takes the visitor back in time to the 4th century or the beginning of the following century.
While the bishopric of Toulouse was being formed and established to the east of the city, a first church, with a funerary vocation, was built in the heart of a necropolis, to the north, on the banks of the Garonne. With a length of 30 meters, it was to have dimensions comparable to those of the first church Saint-Sernin, contemporary. At the end of Antiquity, people used to gather in this church to commemorate the deceased, whose tombs invaded the whole surrounding area and even the heart of the nave.

About this building

Former Cluniac priory descendant of Moissac, dating back to 1067, due to the Count of Toulouse William IV. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the building served as a meeting place for the town's notables. In 1628, the pope exchanged the priory of Villardonnel with Moissac for that of Saint-Pierre in order to donate it to the Carthusian monks who settled next door. The building preserves important vestiges of the 11th and 12th centuries (Romanesque portal, part of the wall with two Romanesque windows in the west façade, walls of the apsidal chapel and vestiges in the semicircular apse), and was completed in the 14th and 16th centuries. It consists of a choir with a flat chevet and a nave of very southern character. Its name has nothing to do with cooking: it is the translation of Coquinis, referring to small craftsmen. It has been converted into an auditorium today and contains a necropolis to visit.

Key Features

  • Monuments
  • Interior features
  • Social heritage

Visitors information

  • Bus stop within 100m
  • Level access throughout
  • Parking within 250m
  • Accessible toilets in the building
  • Space to secure your bike
  • Wifi
  • Building shop or souvenirs

Other nearby buildings

JClaude Bilotte

Church of Saint-Pierre des Chartreux

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.

By Balmario - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35638699

Ensemble conventuel des Jacobins

The convent of the Jacobins of Toulouse is composed of a church (Church of the Jacobins), a cloister, a chapter house, a refectory and a chapel (Chapelle Saint-Antonin). It was built by the Order of Friars Preachers in 1230 to counter the influence of the Cathar heresy. These buildings entirely in brick are considered a perfect example of Languedoc Gothic art. In these buildings, was established the old University of Toulouse (1229-1793) until its suppression to the French Revolution.

Par Didier Descouens — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36306887

Notre-Dame de la Daurade

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.