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Hotel de Bernuy
In old Toulouse, you'll see one of the fruits of this period of prosperity: The Hotel de Bernuy...
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City of Mathematicians
Pierre de Fermat could never foresee that he would one day be considered one of the greatest mathematicians ...
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City of Poets
The "Consistoire du Gai Savoir" was founded in November, 1323... |
The Capitol
If there is one place in Toulouse that should not be missed... |
The Violet: The Emblem of the City
There is an oral legend that circulates among the market gardeners ... |
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onjour! Let us relax
and visit Toulouse, the "Ville Rose" of South Western France.
The historic capital of the Languedoc, on the river Garonne
and Canal
du Midi, has long been famed for its redbrick architecture
and distinctly southern way of life.
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La Ville Rose
In Toulouse, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, misfortunes seemed to follow one after another. Epidemics, floods of the Garonne River and uncontrollable
fires brought misery and desolation. In 1463, following an especially terrible fire which destroyed 80% of the city, a law was passed encouraging citizens to use
bricks instead of wood as a building material. Furthermore, they could use the dirt easily found near the Garonne River, giving the bricks a peculiar pink
color, which has since become one of the recognizable characteristics of Toulouse. In the nineteenth century, however, the more well-to-do of Toulouse society
felt the pink building material was too common, and too rural. Many inhabitants whitewashed the facades with lime and sand to disguise the bricks. During this last
century, however, the trend has been reversed with a resurgence of pride in the history of Toulouse. Many of the whitewashed buildings have been brushed and
sandblasted to restore the charm of long ago, and to the city its identity as the "Ville Rose".
The Land of Plenty
During the Renaissance, Toulouse experienced a surge of prosperity. The mild climate and moderate soil proved a perfect combination for the growing of pastel
- a plant sought after for its dye making capacity. Once harvested and crushed, pastel provided a paste that was shaped into small balls called "cocagnes".
After drying, these balls provided a blue, indelible dye, which was very much desired in Europe for dyes of all sorts, until the advent of indigo, a much cheaper
dye originating in India. The cocagne was so valuable that soon thereafter, the term "le pays de Cocagne" became synonymous with "the Land of Plenty".
This new prosperity had permanent consequences on the architecture of the city. Aside from the numerous religious monuments which cover almost half of the city,
the newly rich hired the best architects, contractors and sculptors to build mansions which were more like castles than homes.
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| Recipe
for March 2003 |
The "Charlotte aux Poires" |
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Cooking SOS ! If you
run into trouble with one of our recipes, send
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| Hotel de Bernuy |
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In old Toulouse, you'll see one of the fruits of this period of prosperity: The Hotel de Bernuy. With the highest tower in the old city, this architectural marvel is
a blend of Gothic art, Italian and Spanish Renaissance style, and architecture typical of the Chateaux de la Loire. The hotel de Bernuy, which now houses the
prestigious Pierre de Fermat high school, was originally the private dwelling of Don Juan de Bernuy -- a Spanish immigrant. Don Juan de Bernuy was at the
head of a huge fortune, which became even larger thanks to the trade of the pastel in Toulouse. In 1525, De Bernuy made another claim to history by volunteering
as the guarantor of the ransom for Francois the First who had been taken prisoner by Charles the Fifth. The amount of the ransom was evaluated at 1,200,000
gold coins. The king, very grateful for this providential help, visited de Bernuy in his superb mansion in 1533 and made him a “Bourgeois” which was an important
title at the time. He was also made a "Capitoul of Toulouse", one of the magistrates in the government of the city. His fate was tragic however. While organizing
a “corrida”, one of his passions, he fell into the arena and was killed by a bull.
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| City of Mathematicians |
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Pierre de Fermat, born in 1601, could never foresee that he would one day be considered one of the greatest mathematicians of the 17th century. As a matter
of fact, according to his father; “an honorable man was a magistrate”, and Fermat, who excelled in noble subjects such as Latin, Greek and literature, was a
magistrate in Toulouse all his life.
But mathematics was his passion, and he spent all his spare time with numbers and formulae. He certainly was a precursor in algebra and analytic geometry, but
he was not interested in fame, and did not want his work published. He hastily jotted down alternative results in the margins of treaties written by others, as long
as the margins were large enough. One day, he simply wrote in a margin: "I have just discovered a beautiful demonstration that this margin is too small to contain.
" He was speaking about what is now known worldwide as Fermat’s Theory, a question which remained unanswered for three centuries until an English
mathematician found the solution in 1993. The equation is xn+yn=zn does not work when n > 2. Maybe you are tempted? We at francemonthly.com have given up for good!
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| City of Poets |
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Clemence Isaure is well known in Toulouse as the poets' muse and benefactress. Legend has it that her father refused to give her hand to a young knight she
was infatuated with. The young man died at war and the desperate young woman promised to remain faithful to her pure love and devote her life to poetry.
After her death, she bequeathed her estate to the city of Toulouse provided that the “Capitouls”, the city magistrates, would pay for the expenses of the
"Compagnie des Jeux Floraux"; an association dedicated to preserving the poetry and the regional dialect “Occitane". Poets were invited every May for a
festival of sorts and to share their work. A violet made in fine gold was given as a symbolic award. Soon after her death, the Capitouls denied the existence
of the inheritance and in effect the very life of the generous Clemence. Today the "Compagnie des Jeux Floraux" still exists thanks to the tenacity of poets
eager to maintain the Occitane language. The association is located in the Mansion d'Assezat, a beautiful palace from the Renaissance era.
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| The Capitol |
If there is one place in Toulouse that should not be missed, it is the Place of the Capitole. The building, completed in 1759, is one of the most striking city halls in
France. Eight columns of pink marble stand to symbolize the eight "capitouls". They were city magistrates nominated by the Count of Toulouse in the 12th century.
These magistrates ruled the city, at its origin, when the count was absent. Actually, Toulouse is a precursor of democracy. The "capitouls" enjoyed a large
independence, as well as great authority over the city. They managed to keep this independence until the French Revolution. Today, the 130 m long palace
offers numerous terraces with welcoming cafés and shopping. It is also a very animated place when the local inhabitants gather for local festivals as well as to
celebrate the victories of their favorite rugby teams!
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| The Violet: The Emblem of the City |
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There is an oral legend that circulates among the market gardeners who cultivate violets. The legend says that a young market gardener, a soldier of the Empire,
returned from Italy with a bed of violets. He offered the bed to his lovely lady, and when she planted it, the flower grew beautifully. Flower of the court, of the
bourgeoisie as well as of the people, the violet erased all differences between the people, and united the inhabitants of Toulouse, eventually becoming the emblem
of the city.
The violet has been a traditional part of Toulouse since the middle ages, but it wasn’t until 1850 that we saw it emerge commercially, and grow naturally in the
northern part of the city. The little flower was very fashionable in the court of the Second Empire where they were surely charmed by its fragility and sophisticated
scent. Napoleon III chose to give this treasure the name of a Region the Emperor of Austria had offered to his daughter, Napoleon III's wife: the Duchy of Parma
and it became known as the Violet of Parma.
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Toulouse is an absolutely gorgeous city, and a place any French traveler should see for its architectural as
well as culinary riches. We recommend a guided visit of the city, because it is often behind the huge pink facades of the beautiful buildings, that the most astonishing
treasures can be found. And while you’re there, don’t forget the typical markets so rich in color and in flavor. A city from the past, but a city decisively turned
towards the future, with a large trade in aerospace engineering, we highly recommend a visit to Toulouse.
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