Collège de l'Esquile, Historical educational building in central Toulouse, France
Collège de l'Esquile stretches between Taur, Lois, and Esquile streets with red brick facades and a grand staircase from the 18th century. The building occupies an entire block and connects multiple wings into a unified structure.
Founded before 1417 to educate six scholarship students, the school became a municipal college in 1551 through a royal edict. This transformation marked a turning point after which the building underwent significant reconstruction.
The chapel inside was decorated with ornate details in the late 17th century and remains a striking feature of the building. Today it serves as part of the Cinémathèque de Toulouse, a gathering place for film lovers since 1997.
The main entrance portal is located on Rue du Taur, while the protected facades and roofs face Rue des Lois and Rue de l'Esquile. Visitors can explore the public spaces and reach the site easily from the surrounding streets.
The college's name comes from esquila, a bell that regulated the daily schedule of scholarship students during medieval times. This small but essential bell became the namesake for a building that housed generations of learners.
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