Montauban

Montauban. I had to come, since I was only 30 miles away and recent genealogy studies made me aware that a great great... born in 1666, was from here. Of course I have no way to know where he lived, I think I’d have to set aside weeks to figure that out.  

http://www.jstor.org/stable/23367313?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents8

I took the beautiful midi-Pyrenees train line where we spent most o the ride next to the canal, the midi which pre-dated the train system just like in America. The difference is the canals are wide, very wide, and seem to be filled with water throughout. This the French barge ride business which you can do on your own for a price. It could be very fun.

At any rate, here I am looking for bits of the city that existed in 1666. The first is the old bridge...14th century. Old Antoine Trabue (Strabo) most definitely could have been here.

There are lots of people out strolling on the old streets at lunchtime and none are tourists but me. The main attraction here is the Ingres museum and it is closed for renovations. 

A typical city view, the city is a warren of four-story buildings, built close together, giving that closed-in, but somehow comforting feeling

I just had lunch at a Lebanese restaurant where the tabbouli salad was transporting....oh France! 

From Wikipedia:

“In 1360, under the Treaty of Brétigny, it was ceded to the English; they were expelled by the inhabitants in 1414. In 1560 the bishops and magistrates embraced Protestantism, expelled the monks, and demolished the cathedral. Ten years later it became one of the four Huguenotstrongholds under the Peace of Saint-Germain, and formed a small independent republic. It was the headquarters of the Huguenot rebellionof 1621, and successfully withstood an 86-day siege by Louis XIII. It did not submit to royal authority until after the fall of La Rochelle in 1629, when its fortifications were destroyed by Cardinal Richelieu. The Protestants again suffered persecution after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.”

But there is more, previous to the Huguenots were the Cathars, a whole different breed, and apparently the early city also suffered under the Albigensian Crusade, although I haven’t dug up any details yet.

At any rate, there is the old bridge, built the Pont Vieux in the early 14th century (referenced earlier). I feel my great great could have been there. 

I also visited a Calvinistic Nursing home, thinking it was a museum. There was an exhibition of 500 years of Calvinism and based on my lousy French, I had full access to the nursing home. I think, though, that this was also the place where the young Huguenot girls were literally sent to the nunnery to have the Protestant ideas trained out of them. Sadly, due to a lack of language skills, I could not pursue this further. I think, though, that another visit could include more time to look into the actual family background.

Hard to see, but this building represents 500 years of Calvinism and contains a nursing home, which I freely walked through

The Place Nacionale, built in 17th century

The facade does not disappoint, but the car park directly in front is a little insult. After seeing so many churches and squares, it is shocking to see the square turned into a parking lot.

This could be the actual Ingres painting.....

Not to be outdone, the new Catholic Church, Notre Dame Cathedral, dwarfs all else and contains Ingres paintings along with works by his understudies.