St. James Church

place of worship filled with stories

Located in the historic center and an emblem of resistance, it retains an old-fashioned charm and remains a special place in the hearts of the Montalbanais.

His Belfry points to the sky and attracts us even before passing the Pont Vieux, from the quays of Villebourbon on the other side of the Tarn.

Catch a glimpse of the colorful mosaic of The Vision on the front. If you look up, discover the stigma of the Wars of Religion, with cannonball impacts clearly visible!

Cradle of the 400 Blows

The church of Saint-Jacques became the seat of a true “civil religion“. The consuls were elected there and the important decisions of the city were made. During the Wars of Religion, the church was transformed into a fortified position. During the 4-month siege by Louis XVIII’s troops in 1621, Montauban resisted the king. It is since, that the church bears the traces of cannonballs.

In 1629, the Cardinal of Richelieu celebrated a Te Deum there for the victory of Louis XIII.

His Toulouse bell tower

The bell tower proudly blends into the landscape of the Midi toulousain, strongly marked by the architectural charm of its churches and cathedrals. In the pure tradition of Toulouse bell towers, this tall octagonal tower, juxtaposes several floors and draws its roots from Romanesque architecture. Do you recognize it? This unique and distinctive character of Southern Gothic.

©dominiqueviet Droits Réservés Montauban0425

For the curious

Give yourself a tour, or discover the unusual secrets of the place, thanks to a virtual walk in the inaccessible hiding places of this ancestral building.

Did you know that?

From the first building no evidence remains. The church finds its origins in the foundation of Montauban.

Its presence is attested in 1147 by a gift from the knight Pierre de Penne to the abbey of Saint-Théodard. Its plan must have been relatively simple: a single nave, rectangular, with a flat chevet.

©dominiqueviet Droits Réservés Montauban0147

The building was rebuilt from 1241 and enlarged within the limit available in the urban grid, which explains the proximity of the church to the rest of the houses.

It features a large single nave of five straight bays, enclosed by a seven-sided apse.