First day of sightseeing in Toulouse ended with a trip to the Couvent de Jacobins or the Church of the Jacobins. This is a Roman Catholic Church that has been deconsecrated and contains relics of Thomas Aquinas who was a member of the Dominican order. In my picture of the altar you can see a gold reliquary that contains those relics of Thomas Aquinas. In another picture I took, you can see that the building has beautiful high arching ceilings and pillars that look like palm trees. The architecture of this church including the high arching ceilings influenced the development of the French  southern gothic style. My favorite part of this church was the cloisters which are covered walks where people could go to meditate or read! In my picture you can see just how beautiful it is and while I was out there it was so relaxing. I could tell why they would call it a “retreat” from the church because it was so peaceful. I personally could sit out there and take in the natural sounds all day. Everything we saw in this church was beautiful and I can’t wait to see more as we continue to travel across France and Spain! 🇫🇷❤️