This is the center of Toulouse. That statement is true both from a literal standpoint – the Place du Capitole is about halfway between the Saint-Etienne cathedral and Saint-Sernin basilica, the two most important religious sites (arguably) in the city – and from a practical one. This is, after all, both Toulouse’s current city hall and the reminder of the city’s remarkable past, both as an independent County of Toulouse and a fully French city.

The current building only dates to the 18th century, and the interior to post-Revolution times, but the Capitole’s storied history takes us all the way back to the 12th century and the County of Toulouse.

But first, as always, we need even a little more background. In 768, Charlemagne became King of the Franks (click here to read more about Charlemagne from his capital in Aachen). As part of his storied reign, he reorganized his vast kingdom, which would ultimately be called the Carolingian Empire. Part of that reorganization, which stretched into the eras of his successors, was the establishment of vassal quasi-independent kingdoms and noble realms. One of those was the County of Toulouse.

In 844, Fredelo became Count of Toulouse upon the conquering of the region by Pippin II of Aquitaine (a direct descendent of Charlemagne from a non-imperial branch), and his (Fredelo’s) successors would rule the local area as the Rouergue dynasty – with a couple brief interruptions – until the acquisition of the County by the French in 1271.

In 1152, Rouergue Count Raymond V allowed for an elected town assembly in the city of Toulouse itself. Any free citizen over 25 was allowed to vote, and the Capitouls (the name given to council members) were given a fairly wide berth in city governance. They were allowed to set some economic policy, they served as the central court, and they even held their own in disagreements with the counts themselves – often winning such arguments, such was the popularity of the elected government.

In 1271, when French rule ended the County of Toulouse as an independent entity, the Capitoulate was kept intact. While elected members of the council had to swear fealty to the king, and their numbers were reduced from 24 to 8, local power remained. The Capitouls were still able to regulate local guilds and some aspects of the market economy, to both adopt and depose bailiffs, and even to – quasi-independently from the royal courts – maintain some judicial power.

Local rule by the Capitouls would continue – although some basic aspects of their power and prestige would change over time – all the way until the French Revolution in 1789.

In 1190, the Capitouls commissioned the predecessor of the current Capitole to be built on today’s site. But the oldest surviving portion of the complex is the donjon, completed centuries later in 1530 to house the city’s archives. (The ornate top was added later.)

The modern Capitole was completed in 1760. Done in Toulouse’s traditional brick, it is a huge building, measuring 135 meters in length. Architect Guillaume Cammas envisioned the Capitole to be the center of life in Toulouse. Besides housing the Capitouls themselves and other municipal offices, it incorporated the regional theatre (and still does).

Adornments range from mythology to the Capitouls’ coats of arms to embodiments of strength and justice in the center and comedy and tragedy over the theatre entrance.

Admission to the building is free (although there is a security check) during opening hours, and allows visitors to see one central courtyard and four rooms upstairs, as well as a central staircase. The courtyard is the oldest area of the building, having been dedicated to King Henry IV in 1607. Columns are adorned with quotations translated on signage below, although it can take a bit to match them.

The interior rooms are reasonably modern creations, all having been redesigned in the 19th century and many having been redecorated only in the 20th. Such is the case with the stairway, which features beautiful paintings representing Toulousian life in the 14th century in a way that imagines one is outdoors.

Upstairs, entry to the four-room public side of the municipal building is via the Salle Gervais, with paintings on basically every non-window-or-floor surface by Paul Gervais. Now used for weddings – so the signage says – the themes here are love and chivalry.

Salle Henri Martin again features stunning paintings by the artist for whom the room is named. These, however, are Toulouse through the four seasons, with citizens enjoying their city.

Finally, one reaches the Salle des Illustres, the largest and most highly decorated of the Capitole’s accessible spaces. This room holds commissions from the city’s most respected artists and workshops at the end of the 19th century, with scenes from Toulousian history (like Pope Urban II entering the city to drum up support for the First Crusade in 1095), French nationalism, the city’s place as a center of arts and culture, and great Toulousian people (including a sculpture of mathematician Pierre de Fermat, among others).

Huge paintings at either end sit behind spaces now used for events or press conferences, during which times I am guessing the rooms are closed to the public.

An open doorway also allows visitors to peer into (but not fully enter) the current Council Chamber.

The Salle des Illustres is an overwhelming space in a way similar to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, necessitating both a wide view (which will reflect an inevitable “wow”) and the slow walking from feature to feature. Despite minimal signage as to what each individual painting and sculpture represents – the signage takes decorations by type (sculpture, for instance) into a single category rather than offer full narratives of each – it isn’t hard to make out the basics, and to appreciate the efforts undertaken to capture the glory of Toulouse and its people.

It is incredible to think that while Toulouse’s Capitole of today is relatively modern, this is the spot from which this city has been democratically governed for almost 900 years. From the Capitouls of the County of Toulouse to today’s city council, one can appreciate the storied political history of a truly remarkable city.

Like it? Pin it!