Toulouse Capitole Night Wikimedia Commons

300px, The Capitole back side The Capitole de Toulouse ( oc, Capitòli de Tolosa, link=no; ), commonly known as the ''Capitole'', is the heart of the municipal administration of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

city of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

and its

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. __NOTOC__

History and description

It is not the same Capitol as the one where St Saturninus was

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

, the latter referring to the Capitoline temple of the Roman city, while the first buildings of the current Capitole were erected on this site in the 12th century. The ''

Capitouls The ''capitouls'', sometimes anglicized as ''capitols'', were the chief magistrates of the commune of Toulouse, France, during the late Middle Ages and early Modern period. Their council and rule was known as the ''Capitoulate'' (french: c ...

'' (governing magistrates) of Toulouse embarked on the construction of the original building in 1190 to provide a seat for the government of a province growing in wealth and influence. The name "Capitole" referred not only to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerou ...

but also to the ''capitulum'', which was the chapter of the governing magistrates. It was a centre of contention during the 1562 Toulouse Riots, with Huguenot forces holding it with captured cannon. In the first half of the 19th century, the structures surrounding the vast (2 ha) ''Place du Capitole'' were redesigned, but the current façade, 135 m long and built of the characteristic pink brick in Neoclassical style, dates from 1750, built according to plans by

Guillaume Cammas Guillaume Cammas (1688–1777) was a French painter and architect. Life Cammas was born in Aignes, Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrénées. He studied under the painter Antoine Rivalz, and designed the façade of the Capitole de Toulouse 300p ...

. The eight columns represent the original eight capitouls. In 1873,

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...

built a bell tower typical of the style of northern France on top of the

donjon A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in ...

of the building. It was in this donjon that

Jean Calas Jean Calas (1698 – 10 March 1762) was a merchant living in Toulouse, France, who was tried, tortured and executed for the murder of his son, despite his protestations of innocence. Calas was a Protestant in an officially Catholic society. Dou ...

, a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

victim of a religiously-biased trial, was interrogated. Only the

Henri IV Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

courtyard and gate survive from the original medieval buildings. It was in this courtyard that the Duke de Montmorency was decapitated after his rebellion against

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, ...

Richelieu Richelieu (, ; ) may refer to: People * Cardinal Richelieu (Armand-Jean du Plessis, 1585–1642), Louis XIII's chief minister * Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu (1582–1653), French Carthusian bishop and Cardinal * Louis François Armand ...

. A thorough redesign of the ''Place du Capitole'' in 1995 reserved the space for pedestrians. Some of the interior of the ''Capitole'' can be traced back to the 16th century. Today the Capitole houses the city hall, as well as the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse opera company and the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse. The ''Salle des Illustres'' contains 19th century works of art.

Gallery

Capitole_Toulouse_-_Le_donjon.jpg, The

capitouls The ''capitouls'', sometimes anglicized as ''capitols'', were the chief magistrates of the commune of Toulouse, France, during the late Middle Ages and early Modern period. Their council and rule was known as the ''Capitoulate'' (french: c ...

' former tower (1525-1530, except for the top). Augustins_-_Dame_Tholose_-_1550_-_Jean_Rancy.jpg, Jean Rancy's '' Lady Tholose'', 1544–1550, that served as a weather vane on the tower. Capitole_de_Toulouse_-_Cour_Henri_IV_-_portail_de_Nicolas_Bachelier.jpg, The Renaissance portal in the courtyard (16th and 17th c.). Portebachelier-01(1).jpg, The lower part of the portal (1546) represents Pallas, protector of the city since Roman times. Bas-Relief_in_cour_Henri_IV.jpg, The middle part of the portal (1561) depicts enslaved prisoners. Capitole_de_Toulouse_-_Cour_Henri_IV_-_Henri_IV_par_Thomas_Hurtamat_1607.jpg, The upper part of the portal (1602-1609) features a statue of King Henry IV. Coat_of_arms_in_Cour_Henri_IV_Gervais_de_Mourat.JPG, The inner courtyard (1602-1606) is decorated with many coats of arms of

. Capitole-27.jpg, The main facade (1750-1760). Coats_of_arms,_balcony_of_Capitole_of_Toulouse_10.JPG, The balconies are decorated with the coats of arms of the

. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Grand_escalier_-_Raimond_VI_comte_de_Toulouse,_l'excommunié_1156-1222_-_René-Henri_Ravaut.jpg, Painting of

Raymond VI Raymond VI ( oc, Ramon; October 27, 1156 – August 2, 1222) was Count of Toulouse and Marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also Count of Melgueil (as Raymond IV) from 1173 to 1190. Early life Raymond was born at Saint-Gilles, Gard, ...

, Count of Toulouse, excommunicated by the Pope. Intérieur_du_Capitole_de_Toulouse,_vers_la_Salle_des_Illustres_05.JPG, Painting of the first session of the

Floral Games Floral Games were any of a series of historically related poetry contests with floral prizes. In Occitan, their original language, and Catalan they are known as '' Jocs florals'' (; modern Occitan: ''Jòcs florals'' , or ''floraus'' ). In French t ...

. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_Gervais.jpg, Gervais hall, former wedding hall. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_Gervais_-_Amour_source_heureuse_de_vie_à_vingt_ans_-_par_Paul_Gervais.jpg, Painting in Gervais hall. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_Henri-Martin_-_L'été_par_Henri_Martin.jpg, Painting in

Henri Martin Henri Martin may refer to: *Henri Martin (historian) (1810–1883), French historian *Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin (1860–1943), French impressionist painter *Henri Martin (French politician) (1927–2015), French communist leader *Henri Martin (Am ...

hall. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_des_Illustres.jpg, Hall of Illustrious. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_des_Illustres_-_Toulouse_coopérant_à_la_défense_nationale_1897_-_Jean-André_Rixens.jpg, Paintings on the ceiling of the Hall of Illustrious. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_des_Illustres_-_Apollon_et_les_Arts_1897_-_Paul_Gervais.jpg, Paintings on the ceiling of the Hall of Illustrious. La_Couronne_de_Toulouse_1894_-_Edouard_Debat-Ponsan_-_salle_des_Illustres,_Toulouse.jpg, Paintings on the ceiling of the Hall of Illustrious. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_des_Illustres_-_L'entrée_à_Toulouse_du_pape_Urbain_II_en_1096_par_Benjamin_Constant.jpg, Painting on a wall in the Hall of Illustrious, representing Raymond IV welcoming the Pope in 1096. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_des_Illustres_-_Dura_lex,_sed_lex_ou_La_Loi,_la_Justice,_la_Vérité_(1905)_par_Paul_Gervais.jpg, Painting on a wall in the Hall of Illustrious, ''Dura lex, sed lex''. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_du_Conseil_municipal.jpg, Council Chamber. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_du_Conseil_municipal_-Toulouse_vue_du_Bazacle_-_Edmond_Yarz.jpg, Painting of Toulouse in the Council Chamber. Capitole_Toulouse_-_Salle_du_Conseil_municipal_-_Les_vendanges_-_Henri_Bonis.jpg, Grape harvest painting in the Council Chamber.

References

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* . Buildings and structures in Toulouse Landmarks in France Tourist attractions in Toulouse City and town halls in France {{HauteGaronne-geo-stub

History and description

Gallery

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography