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Origin and history

The Priory of Notre-Dame de la Daurade, located in Toulouse, finds its origins in the fifth century as one of the oldest Christian places of worship in the city. A monastic community settled there in the 9th century, before the priory was officially founded in 1077 under the name of Sainte-Marie la Daurade, attached to the Benedictine Abbey of Moissac (Order of Cluny). In the 12th century, major works built a new church, cloister and convent buildings, making the priory a powerful economic player thanks to the control of the bridge and mills of the Daurade, a considerable source of income.

In the 14th century, the monastery retained its influence, but its history became enlivened. In the 16th century, several monks adopted the Calvinist Reformation and left the priory. In 1627 the Benedictines joined the congregation of Saint-Maur. The demolition of the church in the 18th century (1761) marked a turning point: replaced by neo-classical buildings, it preceded the French Revolution, which transformed the site into a national good (1790). The convent buildings, sold in 1791 to industrialist François-Bernard Boyer-Fonfrède, successively housed a fabric factory, a tobacco factory (1812), then, after a fire (1816), the school of fine arts of Toulouse from 1893.

The remains of the priory include elements of the Paleo-Christian church (Vth century) scattered in museums (Louvre-Lens, Metropolitan Museum, Saint-Raymond Museum) and collective 14th century latrines, classified as Historic Monument in 1995. The latrines tower, mentioned in the seventeenth century, illustrates medieval monastic engineering with its evacuation system and central well. The cloister, demolished in 1811, gave way to redevelopments, such as the eclectic facade designed by architect Pierre Esquié in 1895 for the school of fine arts.

During the First World War, the site served as a military hospital. Today, it combines medieval heritage and cultural functions, bearing witness to nearly 15 centuries of history, from the paleo-Christian origins to its present artistic vocation.

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