Toulouse is a jewel in the crown of France. It is steeped in
history as long and involved as that of Paris, though most Parisians would
disagree. Toulouse was the seat of the Count of Toulouse who was basically king
of the
Languedoc,
Occitan. During the 1200s, the renaissance, art, culture
and progress were bursting into bloom here, before the “King” of France decided
he didn’t like the rivalry. Toulouse was much too prosperous for “France” to
allow it to remain independent. The king of France arranged an alliance with Pope
Innocent III, you get the souls and I get the land. The only “crusade” against
Christians then lasted over 56 years when France waged war and eventually
incorporated Toulouse into its sphere. This is the main reason behind the
animosity between the north and the south (sound familiar?) in France. Yes,
this is a simplified version of the history, but still accurate. It’s
interesting to know that Lebanon was also part of the Comte de Toulouse, and
was referred to as the
Comte de Toulouse
de l’Orient. It played a major role during the Crusades since it was the
only Christian land in the Orient that honored the local Arabs and was
therefore respected by Saladin. Perhaps the King of France was also envious of
this territory? My husband was raised in
Blagnac, which used to be a
small village on the outskirts of Toulouse. Thanks to
Airbus, Blagnac is now on
the world stage, which does much for my mother in law’s property values!
The city is known as “La Ville en Rose” as the vast majority
of older buildings are built with natural brick from the area which is light
red in color. One can walk it’s streets for days and not see everything. It has
culture, traffic, progress, museums, churches, is laced with
canals, and a
subway system/tram system which is state of the art. The Toulouse area is also
known for its
violettes (not to mention
Toulouse Lautrec!). Violettes are grown here and made
into
candies famous the world over. Provence has nothing on the Midi-Pyrenees,
which is where Toulouse is located, for beauty. On a clear day one can see the
Pyrenees in the distance. If you ever decide to visit Toulouse, the “
Eglise des Jacobins” (Church of the Jacobins) is a must see. Its claim to fame is the “
palm”
like arches holding the domed ceiling in place.
