Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse archaeology museum

Situated in a listed monument in the old town centre, it conserves and exhibits works from Mediterranean civilisations dating from Antiquity. An  exceptional collection of Roman sculptures, unearthed at the site of the imperial domain of Chiragan (Martres-Tolosane), is on display here. Visitors also enjoy the objects capturing the splendour of Tolosa and the Roman province of Narbonne. Equally impressive is the basement. It is an exhibition space and an archaeological site, presenting a collection of sarcophagi sculpted for the earliest Christians, and remains unearthed during excavations: a remarkably well-preserved lime kiln and part of a cemetery dating from late Antiquity. They provide visitors with a better understanding of the origins of the Romanesque basilica Saint-Sernin, standing opposite the museum.

The explanatory texts in the museum are translated into English.


1ter place Saint-Sernin 31000 Toulouse
Tél : 05 61 22 31 44
Metro: Capitole or Jeanne-d’Arc.
Admission free for under 19s, students and for all visitors on the first Sunday of each month.
Open from Tuesday to Sunday : 10:00-18:00
Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

Classified as a historic museum in 1975, the Musée Saint-Raymond, along with the schools Saint-Martial (currently the Hôtel de l’Opéra) and Pierre de Foix, is one of the rare, existing examples of medieval, academic architecture in Toulouse.

• 1523 : construction under the direction of the architect Louis Privat. At the time, it served as a collège, a dormitory for students coming to Toulouse from different regions to study law, theology, medicine…
• 1836 : the City of Toulouse buys back all of the buildings belonging to the former Collège Saint-Raymond.
• 1852-1853 : the museum’s edifice is the only building to escape the demolitions brought on by the construction of a large square around the basilica of Saint-Sernin.
• 1868-1871 : saved from destruction, the building is restored thanks to the intervention of Viollet-le-Duc
• 1891 : the Musée Saint-Raymond opens.