Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Salin temple, located in Place du Salin in Toulouse, occupies a building built at the end of the 13th century to house the Royal Treasury. This first building, a 20-metre high square tower flanked by two machicoulis wings, would have welcomed kings like Louis XI, Charles IX and Louis XIII during their Toulouse stays. In the 15th century, modifications were made, including sled windows and a door still visible today on the west wall.

At the time of the Revolution, the Royal Treasury was dismantled and the building became state property. In 1807, nuns settled there until the dissolution of their congregation in 1904. In the 19th century, the tower lost its niches for a roof with a pan, and a gallery façade, destroyed in 1905, was erected. Between 1909 and 1911, the architect Léon Daures conducted works of transformation into a Protestant temple for the Cultural Association of the Reformed Church of Toulouse, which acquired it in 1908.

The amenities include stained glass windows signed Calmels, neoclassical windows and a large carved rose. The organ, installed in 1911 by Mutin-Cavaillé-Coll and replaced in 1922 by Jean-Baptiste Puget, is today a modern instrument designed by Jean Daldosso in 2005, renowned for its three innovative sound plans. Ranked a historic monument in May 1990, the temple remains an active place of worship and a remarkable example of heritage adaptation.

The building thus combines medieval elements (thirteenth century masonries), additions of the 15th century (windows with gins), and transformations of the 20th century (neo-gothic facade, contemporary organ). Its history reflects the religious, political and architectural developments of Toulouse, from its role as Royal Treasurer to its present Protestant vocation.

The craftsmen who contributed to its renovation at the beginning of the 20th century included, in addition to the architect Léon Daures, the builder Cassagners for the masonry, the painter-glass Calmels, the mosaïste Laplana and the sculptor Mauguet. Their work allowed to preserve traces of the previous eras while adapting the building to its new cult function.

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