Convent des Jacobins

In Toulouse, France, there is a deconsecrated Roman Catholic church called the Church of the Jacobins. It is a sizable brick structure whose construction began in 1230 and whose design inspired the growth of the Southern French Gothic style known as the Gothique méridional.

There are kept Thomas Aquinas' relics. The Dominican Order was dissolved in France during the French Revolution, and for the next two centuries, it served a variety of functions before enjoying a significant restoration in the twentieth century. It was partially transformed into a museum at the start of the twenty-first century.

The south side's round arch is a remnant of the old romanesque church, and the three substantial buttresses match the interior's double-nave design that was preserved when the church was enlarged. On the other hand, the Jacobins are regarded as pioneers of the Gothique méridional, or Southern French Gothic, style.

The fact that it is made entirely of brick is one of its most recognizable features. The design of the south wall between the buttresses is another distinguishing feature. A tall Gothic ogival, pointed arch with a modest rose window at the top and a lancet window below characterizes each section.

The ogival arch with a tall, narrow triple-lancet window may also be seen in the intervals between the buttresses of the nave. Little ornamentation is present, which is thought to have been a deliberate choice to set this church apart from the very complex Gothic of northern France.

The nave's ability to offer a remarkably cohesive space served as a model for Southern French Gothic architecture development. While the decision to use columns to support the Gothic vaulted roof was copied, the double-nave design, with one side for the congregation and the other for the friars, proved to be troublesome.

Eight of the ribs of the vaulted ceiling are supported by each thin column, which has a diameter of just 1.4 meters and rises to a height of 28 meters, including 22 meters for the stone shaft. The six columns also divide the nave into six bays. The 22 ribs of the choir's famed Palm Tree-shaped vaulted roof are supported by a seventh column that continues along the same line. The intricate designs of the later Gothic are thought to have been inspired by this masterpiece.

Along the way, take a break in chapels and nooks like the echoing Salle Capitulaire, a 14th-century hall decorated with grisaille paintings of Dominican saints and a lamb with a halo. Chapelle St-Antonin is a must-see for its apocalyptic ceiling frescoes from the 14th century.