Augustinian convent (Toulouse)

The Augustinian Convent of Toulouse was founded in 1286 for members of the Augustinian religious order. It was first established outside the city walls, near the Matabiau quarter, then, between 1310 and 1341 moved to the corner of rue du Musée and rue des Arts. In 1790 it ceased to be a convent and today its buildings house the Musée des Augustins.

In 1269 a community of Hermits of St. Augustine was founded outside the city of Toulouse, near to the Montolieu quarter. The construction was due to the Chapter of Canons Regular of St. Sernin who undertook to build a convent in exchange for land and rights that newcomers granted them from the donations they had received (Departmental Archives of Haute Garonne, 101 H 638). As frequently happens in the history of religious foundations, this initial location proved inadequate to the needs of the community.

In 1309/1310, the hermits of St. Augustine obtained the Pope's Clement V approval to sell this first building, and purchase the land to build the existing buildings that lie within the walls of the city, in the parish of Saint-Etienne. The canons of Saint-Sernin objected to the transfer, but, in 1326 sold three houses to the hermits for the price of 3500 guilders in exchange of a part of the wax sheets received by the Augustinians for a burial.

Jean Lobres, prime contractor of Toulouse's cathedral participated in the construction of the apse of the church. The layout of the church is typical of the southern Gothic style. The apse has three chapels that open directly onto the large, single nave, there is no transept, and in the upper parts, sections have been cut out. By 1341 the foundations of the monastery were well established.

The completed church was painted in the style typical of northern Spain during the first half of the fourteenth century and decorated with miniatures produced in the royal court at the time of Philip IVth of France (Philip the Fair). The campanile is built on a square and close to the chorus. Access is via the opening which is now located in the vestry. The construction of the eastern part of monastery began in 1341. Construction of the other three parts of the building were only begun in 1396 by the mason Jean Maurin. Ninety years later, in 1396, the cloister was completed.

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