Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Platé, Catholic church in Castres, France

The église Notre-Dame-de-la-Platé is a church in Castres built with Jesuit architectural principles, featuring a limestone facade with columns and niches housing statues of Saints Peter and Paul. The interior preserves classified historical furnishings and a baroque canopy supported by marble columns, representing the artistic ambitions of its era.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Platé is first mentioned in the 11th century, its name coming from the small plateau it stands on. The earlier church was destroyed by Protestants during the Wars of Religion; only the bell tower survived, used by the Huguenots as a gunpowder store until lightning blew it up. Reconstruction began in 1607, and in 1741 the church was remodelled in the Jesuit and Baroque manner of the Gesù in Rome. The presbytery followed in 1755 and the bell tower in 1771.

The name Platé comes from the small plateau where the church stands. Since 2015 the building has reopened for concerts and ceremonies, and the carillon is played by hand: the first Saturday of each month from 11am to noon, and during the Nadalet from 17 to 23 December from 6.30pm. The tower is open to visitors while the bells ring.

The church reopened in 2015 for occasional concerts and ceremonies rather than regular visiting. The bell tower is open to visitors when the carillon sounds: first Saturdays of the month from 11am to noon, main religious feasts, the Nadalet from 17 to 23 December from 6.30pm, European Heritage Days and the Fête de la Musique.

The bell tower is the only part that survived the Wars of Religion: the Huguenots used it as a gunpowder store, and lightning set off the powder. The carillon now has 34 bells, the newest a 450 kg A3 added in 2016, and it is played entirely by hand, with no electric ringing system.