A masterpiece of southern Gothic architecture built by the Dominican order in the 13th century. The nave is divided by a single row of slender columns that branch out into extraordinary palm-tree vaults at the roof — one of the most beautiful interior spaces in France. The cloister garden is a peaceful retreat from the busy city outside. The remains of Thomas Aquinas are kept here. Small admission charge.
Couvent des Jacobins
Stunning palm-tree Gothic vaults and the tomb of Aquinas
A story
Thomas Aquinas died in 1274, but his remains only arrived in Toulouse in 1369 — a gift from Pope Urban V intended to dignify the city's Dominican community. His reliquary now rests beneath the palm-tree vault he never saw, in what has become one of the great Gothic interiors of Europe.