LE QUARTIER SAINT-SERNIN

The district runs along the northern edge of the ancient city. It lies outside the ramparts that ran beneath the Place du Capitole. It was therefore a new Romanesque town that sprang up in the 11th century.

It was here, around the construction site of the abbey and the basilica dedicated to St Saturnin, that life was bustling: pilgrims were praying on the route to Santiago de Compostela and the stonemasons were putting their chisels to work. But while the Saint-Sernin basilica is the star of this tour, the guide will also take you to some more surprising places!

A commercial and spiritual crossroads, the village became part of the city around 1140, surrounded by palisades and then ramparts. Later, in the 13th and 14th centuries, the district was swollen with a new population: students! The University of Toulouse is one of the oldest in France, founded in 1229. It specialised in Roman law, and over the centuries the Latin Quarter saw the emergence of increasingly comfortable student campuses. The tour includes stops at these so-called "colleges": Périgord, Esquile and St Raymond.

Then, in the 18th century, the face of the district changed. The sulphurous Jean Dubarry had a town house built behind the basilica, and the Carmelite nuns set up a pretty convent a stone's throw away.

Without revealing too much, the guide will also tell you about "papi bonbon", the temple of knowledge and Basque-influenced villas in the rue St Bernard...

Good to know: Dress code for the Basilique Saint-Sernin.
No caps, tank tops, miniskirts, shorts, bare backs or bare shoulders.
If your shoulders or back are bare or if you are wearing a tank top, the Basilica provides shawls. You can buy them at the kiosk.