Toulouse's churches photo gallery

Toulouse's centre has quite a lot of churches, which is fairly common for a historic European city. However, each has its own distinct design and is beautiful in its own way.

The small Chapelle des Carmelites dates from 1622 when King Louis XIII and his wife laid the first stone. His promise for construction money never came through entirely though. Surviving destruction during the revolution, the appearance on the outside is quite low profile but the paintings inside are incredible.

Around the corner is the Saint-Sernin Basilica, the largest Romanesque church in the country. Dedicated to St. Saturninus, Toulouse's first bishop, the church was consecrated in 1096 with construction continuing until the 14th century. The huge interior space was designed to handle pilgrimmage crowds bound for Santiago de Compostela.

Notre-Dame de la Dalbade is located in the Carmes district and was built at the end of the 15th century, although the original church dates from the 6th. The 81m bell tower was once the tallest in the city but collapsed in 1926.

Basilique Notre-Dame de la Daurade faces the Garonne and was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century, when the Benedictine abbey's riverfront had to give way to quay construction. The Pope granted it the honorary title of basilica in 1876. It houses a Black Madonna, which protects the city and its mothers.