Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse (must see)

The Dominican Order had their first convent in Paris on the Saint-Jacques Street. Jaques of course, means "James" and James in Latin is "Jacobus". So the Dominicans were popularly known as "Jacobins." Saint Dominic founded his order in 1215 in Toulouse.

In 1215 the province of Occitan was home to the Cathars, a christian sect thought to be heretical. Dominic hoped to combat this heresy by establishing a preaching brotherhood of monks. In 1230 the Dominican friars began the construction of a small church in Toulouse from which to preach.

Over the centuries the church grew and expanded. A choir, side chapels and a vaulted roof were added. Saint Thomas Acquinas, a dominican monk who was canonized in 1323, was interred in the church by order of Pope Urban V in 1368. During the French Revolution the remains were moved to Saint Sernin's. They were returned in 1974.

The emperor Napoleon requisitioned the church for a barracks in 1810. The Dominicans had already been forced to leave in 1789. The inside of the church was gutted, floors were put in, stained glass windows destroyed and covered over. Popular revulsion eventually forced the Army to move out in 1861. Restoration began and the church became a museum.

The Church of the Jacobins is in the center of town. Take the metro to the Capitole station and walk west. It is a 5 minute journey by foot. There is a small entrance fee to enter the church.