Museum of Augustins (Musée des Augustins)
The basics
A former Augustin convent that was converted into a museum during the French Revolution, the Museum of Augustins offers an exceptional setting for paintings and sculptures dating from the Middle Ages to the 1940s.
Works by French artists such as Ingres, Delacroix, Manet, Courbet, and local hero Toulouse-Lautrec are well represented, and there’s also a fascinating range of Gothic, Romanesque, and renaissance sculptures, many taken from buildings that once stood in Toulouse. Other European artists feature, too—there’s a great selection of works by well-known European artists such as Perugino, Crespi, Rubens, and Murillo.
Things to know before you go
- Entry to the museum is by paid ticket – get free entry with a Toulouse Pass Tourisme.
- The museum is wheelchair-accessible, and there are some wheelchairs available for rent at the front desk.
- The museum stays open late on Wednesday nights.
How to get there
The museum is located around the corner from the Esquirol metro stop on the southern edge of the Old Quarter of Toulouse. It’s a 20-minute walk from Toulouse’s main train station, and the airport is a 30-minute drive or taxi ride away.
Trip ideas
When to get there
The museum is open to the public daily every day except Tuesday. Sunday afternoons are the busiest time at the museum, so plan to visit another day for a quieter experience. The convent’s cloister provides a lovely shade space to stroll around on a hot day.
The French Revolution and France’s Museums
As part of an attempt to secularize France during the French Revolution, Church property was often confiscated by the State. The Augustine Convent was handed over to a local citizen who used the great refectory as a stable block before a petition led by eminent professors from the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture succeeded in securing the building as a museum to house and protect the many precious artworks in Toulouse.
- Toulouse Cathedral (Cathedrale St-Etienne)
- Place du Capitole
- Basilica of Our Lady of the Daurade (Notre-Dame de la Daurade)
- Garonne River
- Pont Neuf
- St. Sernin Basilica (Basilique Saint-Sernin)
- Les Abattoirs Museum
- Space City (Cite de l'Espace)
- Aeroscopia
- Fronton Wine Region
- Albi Cathedral
- Albi
- Toulouse-Lautrec Museum (Musée Toulouse-Lautrec)
- Black Mountains (Montagne Noire)
- Cabardès Wine Region