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Origin and history

The walls of Toulouse are a set of fortifications built between the first and sixteenth centuries to protect the city. Their history begins under the Roman Empire, around 30 AD, with a monumental first rampart, symbol of prestige for the Tolosa settlement. This bulwark, initially without a military vocation, was reinforced in the Lower Empire (fourth century) by defensive towers, in response to political uncertainties and Germanic migration. It was partially destroyed during the Crusade des Albigeois (1209) by order of Simon de Montfort, then dismantled after the Treaty of Meaux (1229).

In the 14th century, during the Hundred Years' War, the Tulousans rebuilt a mud wall, flanked by towers like those of the Hauts-Murats or Sénéchal. The latter, reduced to 3 metres in 1215, lost their military function and became a prison or administrative dependency. In the 16th century, in the face of the Spanish threat, François I ordered the modernization of the defenses: bastions were added, and the wall was enhanced to 6 meters, without towers but equipped with schaugutes. These adjustments reflect the tensions between France and Charles Quint's Empire.

Most of the ramparts were demolished in the 18th and 19th centuries to facilitate urbanization. Today, only remains remain, such as sections of Gallo-Roman wall (museum of the Catholic Institute), the barbacan of the Gate of the Castle (integrated into a 19th century building), or the towers of the Hauts-Murats and Senechal, protected since 1925. These archaeological traces, often visible in basements or private courtyards, illustrate the evolution of defensive techniques, from Romans to modern times.

The Faubourg Saint-Cyprien, on the left bank of the Garonne River, also has its own medieval rampart, built in the 13th century and reinforced in the 15th century against the English. The Taillefer tower, 35 metres high, was the most imposing element. The Saint-Cyprien gate, built between 1776 and 1789, marks the transition to a monumental entrance, symbolic rather than defensive, with its carved pavilions and its wrought iron gate, now extinct.

Archaeological excavations, such as those of Larrey Hospital (1988) or T.N.T. (1992-1998), made it possible to date precisely the Roman rampart (ca. 20-30 AD) and to discover wisigoth remains (Vth century). These studies, combined with protections for historical monuments (classifications from 1925 to 1997), preserve a fragmentary but precious memory of these fortifications, whose street names (Rempart-Saint-Étienne, Escoussières) still perpetuate memory.

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