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Origin and history

The Hotel Saint John, also known as Hotel des Chevaliers de Saint John de Jerusalem or Hotel de Malta, is a former hospital priory located at 32 rue de la Dalbade in Toulouse. Founded in the 12th century by the Hospitallers, it became the second great priory of the language of Provence after Saint-Gilles. The medieval site, centered around the church of Saint Rémi and a cloister, was entirely rebuilt between 1668 and 1685 under the direction of architect Jean-Pierre Rivalz, marking the climax of its Baroque and late Renaissance architecture. The priory then housed a church, a college, a library, archives, houses for knights and stables.

In the Middle Ages, the Hospitallers first settled in the Dalbad church before obtaining, between 1116 and 1121, the concession of the Saint-Rémi church and surrounding land. In the 13th century, their influence grew: they acquired land rights, built a tower of the Archives, and developed a vast complex including a hospital, cemetery and shops. Their rivalry with the Templars ended in 1312, when their property was transferred to them after the dissolution of their order. In 1315 Toulouse became a great priory, placed at the top of the provincial hierarchy of the Order.

The reconstruction of the 17th century, ordered by prior Antoine de Roubin Graveson, radically transformed the site. Jean-Pierre Rivalz inspired the Chigi Palace in Rome to design a monumental facade of fourteen spans, decorated with alternating frontons and heraldic motifs. The works, completed in 1685, incorporated medieval elements like 12th century painted fire, rediscovered during excavations in 1997. These paintings, representing angels and crucifixion, bear witness to the historic richness of the site.

At the Revolution, the priory was confiscated and became national property. In the 19th century, it will successively house a bed linen fair, a business school, and a hospital during the First World War. In 1986, it was partially classified as a Historic Monument, before a major restoration in the 1990s to accommodate the DRAC Occitanie. Despite the destructions (turn of the Archives in 1813, Saint-Rémi church in 1839), the hotel preserves medieval remains and an emblematic facade, symbol of the legacy of the Knights of Malta in Occitanie.

The architecture of the Hotel Saint-Jean combines classic grandeur and baroque details. The façade on Rue de la Dalbade, masterpiece of Rivalz, features triangular and curvilinear pediments, while the court of honour, bordered by arcades, distributes the old capitular halls. The excavations of 1997 revealed medieval murals and fire, one of which was decorated with a crucifixion and angel figures, dating from the 13th century. These discoveries have confirmed the historic importance of the site, from its hospital role to its contemporary administrative function.

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