Collégiale Saint-Jacques

The Collégiale Saint-Jacques is the oldest monument in Montauban, a town in the Tarn-et-Garonne known for its pink brick, its arcaded main square and its connection to the painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, who was born here in 1780. Montauban was founded in the twelfth century as a bastide, a planned town laid out on a regular grid beside the river Tarn, and the church of Saint-Jacques grew up along with it. It stands on the main street, the Rue de la République, in the middle of the old centre, and its tower, built of brick like most of the town, is a landmark when seen from nearby streets.

The church is built in the Gothic style typical of south-west France, where brick replaced stone as the main building material. The tall and plain exterior, with large buttresses and a high bell tower, is typical of the region's churches, and the interior has the broad, open space and strong, simple lines that mark the Gothic of Languedoc. Because the church is the oldest in the town, it has seen centuries of change. Like many churches in this part of France it was affected by the religious wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when Montauban was a Protestant stronghold, and was restored and altered afterwards.

The church is generally open to visitors in the daytime, and the best way to learn about it is by joining one of the guided tours run by the Montauban tourist office. These are short guided visits, usually about an hour, that explain the church and its neighbourhood. They take place on selected dates through the year, they are limited in numbers and the meeting point is at the tourist office, so book ahead and check the schedule. A modest fee applies, with reduced rates for certain groups, and the tickets can be bought on site or online.

The church is a short walk from the Place Nationale, a beautiful square with double arcades of pink brick, built in the seventeenth century after a fire, where markets and cafés fill the space. The Musée Ingres-Bourdelle, which holds a large collection of Ingres's drawings and paintings together with the work of the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, who was also born in Montauban, is nearby. The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montauban and the Parc de la Châtaigneraie can also be reached on foot. The river Tarn, spanned by the fourteenth-century Pont Vieux, is a few minutes away.

Plan about thirty minutes for the church and more if you take a tour. It suits visitors who enjoy quiet churches, red-brick architecture and the history of southern France.