National Square

pink heart of the City of Ingres

In fine weather, the bricks change their reflections, the melody of restaurant cutlery resonates, conversations enliven the square and the passageways under the arcades. Take your place in the background. Enjoy the freshness of a glass on the tile, the local flavors at restaurant tables, the rhythms of a concert, or even the fascinating anecdotes of the tour guides during a guided tour.

Getting there

For the curious

The square has characteristics that inspired the construction of new towns and bastides in the Midi.

Take a good look at the arches, they are not all the same size. They each correspond to the width of their respective building. The keystones, under the covers, give you clues about the owners and the dates of construction. Behind the doors hide treasures saved from the fires: a medieval brick tower here, a Renaissance gallery there …

The buildings are suitable for both professional and personal functions. The shop occupies the ground floor, the first and second floors are inhabited and the upper floor, recognizable by its mirandes, serves as an attic.

To discover the place

You are quite ?

©dominiqueviet Droits Réservés Montauban0190

A terrace restaurant

A guided visit

It is all built of red bricks which hiss softly …

Emile-Antoine Bourdelle

Focus

National Square

Explore the history of Place Nationale in the company of the CIAP thanks to the brochure “Focus place Nationale”.

Download

Did you know ?

Devastated by two fires in the 17th century, the square still shows a certain resistance, which gives it a protective character.

The fire of November 11, 1616 devastated the south side and part of the east side. In order to prevent such a disaster from happening again, architect Pierre Levesville is having the new brick houses rebuilt, alongside half-timbered ones that are still medieval. Reconstruction, completed in 1621.

A second fire broke out on June 15, 1649 and destroyed most of the northern and eastern cover. At the request of the consuls, it was the architect of King Bernard Campmartin who proposed to raise the facades of a storey of mirande garrets. This addition reinforces the monumentality of the square and its classicism.

The square and its secrets ...

The square holds so many period secrets to tell you around the corner of its arcades. Like that of his yardstick encrusted in one of its pillars, or his monumental wooden cross testifying to the location of the pillory … on this square which was also a place where justice was served. Buried under your feet and unearthed during the last excavations, the remains of the consular house, where the public documents setting the rules of life were kept.

Other