Heritage day. Reopening of the dome of La Grave in Toulouse
After six years of work, the chapel of Saint-Joseph de La Grave, whose dome rises on the left bank of the Garonne in Toulouse, opens its doors to the public this Saturday, September 17 on the occasion of European Heritage Days.
With the Place du Capitole, it is the main postcard of the Pink City. The Saint-Joseph de la Grave chapel, whose dome rises on the left bank of the Garonne, opens its doors to the public this Saturday, September 17. The reopening takes place on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. The building classified as a Historic Monument in 1978 has undergone a series of restoration works over the past six years. The amount of the operations amounts to six million euros.
After Heritage Days, the chapel will be open every weekend and every day during school holidays.
A place originally dedicated to charity
For the record, “the first mentions of the Grave Hospital date back to the 1190s. It takes its name from the place where it was built: the shore that runs along the Garonne. Originally dedicated to charity, the hospital (then called Saint-Sébastien) became, between 1508 and 1544, a place of confinement for the poorest plague victims during the Black Death. tells the Toulouse municipality.
In the second half of the 17th century, marked by misery, the Saint-Joseph de La Grave hospital was reassigned to the reception of the destitute, such as beggars, prostitutes, the insane, single mothers, orphans at the time of the Great Re-closure. The medical vocation of the place is affirmed later with in particular the transfer of the maternity of the Hôtel-Dieu.
Several works at the dome of the Grave in Toulouse
In 2015, the City of Toulouse manages the dome of La Grave and decides to restore the site to open it to the public and share its history. “After initial work on public spaces in 2016 and the creation of a pedestrian link between the Jardin Raymond VI and rue du Pont Saint Pierre, following an initial campaign of security works, the building had welcomed nearly 20,000 visitors for Heritage Days in 2017 “, still reminds the community. Further work has been carried out since 2020.
Useful information : free visit on September 17 and 18, then 4 euros (or 2 euros for the reduced price).