The Church of " Saint-Pierre des Chartreux " in Toulouse .

• INTRODUCTION :

I told you that the charm of Toulouse lies in the fact that it doesn't reveal itself easily.

The church, I'm about to presents to you is proof of that !.

It is magnificent, and to my knowledge, it is the only church in Toulouse that does not have the city's typical architecture.

Indeed it is Baroque in style !!! .

It feels more like in Budapest, Vienna or Prague.

And now, shall we explore it together.....

• A little history :

In the context of the religious wars, the " Chartreux " Community found exile in Toulouse at the very end on the 16th. century, because even though Toulouse was Catholic, the surrounding region was largely Protestant.

The " Chartreux " requested permission fron the " Capitouls ", the administration, to built a church.

They did so in 1602 and added a splendid monastery.

An important step was the renovation f the transept's decoration, which had consisted of fresco-painted ceilings.

Finally, a new main altar was commissioned.

In 2007, the church of " SAINT -Pierre " became the seat of the student parish of Toulouse ! .

Originally, this church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but during the French Revoluton, it was converted into a military arsenal, and in 1792, the church took the name " Saint-Pierre ".

• The ARCHITECTURE of the Church :

-Entrance :

It is not grandiose, but it had its charm, it is especially discreet with its long wall of terracotta bricks and its very beautiful white stone pediment, adorned with statues and Dorics columns.

The portal was sculpted in 1613 by " Antoine Bachelier " .

Its distinctive feature is that it opens on a large " atrium" hall, which houses the parish's war memorial.

-Introduction to the two naves of this church :

Another major of this church is that the central choir is divided into two parts.

Indeed, the main altar is located at the center of the church, making it two-faced.

On one side is the nave for the " faithful ", open to everyone, and on the other is the nave for the " monks", reserved for the clergy.

-The nave of faithful :

Another curiosity of this church is that it has three chapels on each side....

On the side of the nave for the faithful, it is located on the left :

• As you approach the choir, there is a chapel dedicated to the souls in Purgatory.

• At the Sacred Heart.

• Our lady of the Rosary.

On the right side, there is :

• The Baptiste Chapel

• A Our Lady of Sorrows with a magnificent Pietà Virgin carved from a single block of 14th. century stone !!! .

• Finally, at Saint-Pierre " .

The walls and ceiling are painting with Neo-Renaissance motifs, and the pulpit, dating from the 18th. century, is shaped like a ship's hull.

Finally, in this nave, you can observe numerous paintings, including the " Adoration of the Shepherds " and the " portrait of the cardinal Archbishop of Toulouse " .

-The main altar :

It is double-sided because it is located at the center of the church , separating the area for the public from that reserved for the clergy.

It was constructed starting n 1780 with many marbles coming from the Pyrenees.

It is adorned with a splendid sculpture depicting angels crowing the " Blessed Sacrament " , dating from 1785 and listed as a historic monument.

The two monumental " Carrara " white marble angels, sculpted by ' François Lucas " are inspired by those he encountered during his many travels to Rome.

We saw particularly in their poses, drapery and facial features.

Importantly, in 1780, the painted ceiling of the transept was replaced with a stucco decoration.

Four bas-reliefs depicting angelic musicians were placed in the pendentives of the dome.

-The monk's choir :

Unfortunately, this part of the church located on the other side of the altar, is ot accessible to the public.

It consists of six rooms carved in the 17th. century.

On two levels, one can discover four series of artistic representations.

The addition of the organ and gallery dates from the 18th. century.

-The organs :

The gallery organ, located on the monk's choir side, is listed as a historic monument and originally comes from the " Jacobin " Convent in Toulouse.

The other organ is located to the right altar in the faithful's choir is a choir organ htat has existed since 1877.

-A splendid curiosity on the monk's choir side :

There is a Chapel of the " Sainte-Croix " opening beneath the organ gallery.

It features an exceptional collection of wooden sculpted dating from the early decades of the 17th. century.

-The carillon :

The church has a carillon of 15 bells, the only manual carillon in the city;

It is played daily by volunteer students.

-The cloister :

They served as places of spiritual retreat for the monks, features individual cells and a central garden conducive to meditation.

The cloister was destroyed during the French Revolution and replaced by military arsenal in 1845.

There you have it, my friends, that's all for today.

I am very happy to have shared with you this splendid church in our city of Toulouse, which clearly shows that the Pink City holds many surprises for its visitors !!! .

Welcome in Toulouse.

The blog from Toulouse.

Best regards, Franck.

Adress : 21, Valade street 31 000 Toulouse.

EXTRA VIDEO OF THE INTERIOR OF THIS MAGNIFICENT BAROQUE-STYLE CHURCH IN TOULOUSE :

EXTRA PHOTO :

EXTRA VIDEO :