For the past four years, a French couple has been living an extraordinary life inside a former Catholic chapel in Toulouse's Soupetard neighborhood. Anne-Sophie and Franck have transformed the 1960s religious building, which they affectionately call "La Capèla" (chapel in Occitan), into their family home while preserving its sacred character and architectural heritage.
The chapel was originally built during the 1960s when Francisco Franco's dictatorship in Spain was driving countless Spanish refugees across the border into France, many settling in Toulouse. "There were many Spanish refugees and the neighboring church, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, wasn't large enough. That's what we were told," Franck explains. The building served as the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Chapel, functioning as a religious annex that later hosted catechism classes for local children.
The transformation project began in 2021 when the couple started renovation work on the building located on Louis Plana Street. Local residents, many with deep emotional connections to the chapel, would instinctively stop to watch the progress. Elderly neighbors shared memories of the building's religious significance: "I got married there in 1956," "I painted the stained glass windows," "our children were baptized here," "they attended catechism classes," and "we held several communion ceremonies there."
As practicing Christians, Anne-Sophie and Franck understood the cultural and spiritual importance of their project. "We could have demolished it and built something new in its place. That would have cost us less," Franck admits pragmatically. However, they had made a promise to the Church authorities. "We wanted to preserve the soul of the chapel and maintain a Christian presence in the neighborhood. We had made a commitment."
The sale of the former chapel was contingent upon this commitment, as the Toulouse diocese rarely sells former religious buildings. According to the diocesan real estate service, "This type of sale is very rare." For a former sacred site to be sold, several conditions must be met. The site must be out of use, and the diocese ensures that "the projected character of the place conforms to its original purpose."
The Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Chapel had become redundant, located just 100 meters from the main Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church, which was built in 1965. Before Anne-Sophie and Franck's successful bid, a developer had attempted to purchase both the chapel and the neighboring house to construct a multi-story apartment building. The Church rejected this proposal outright.
When the couple acquired the building, the former chapel was in poor condition. A large crack threatened the stability of the facade, and most religious artifacts including stained glass windows, statues, paintings, and other religious objects had been removed. Only one rose window, devoid of Christian symbols, remained. However, these few remaining traces of the building's sacred past proved precious to the new owners and helped convince the diocese of their sincere intentions.
"There are so many churches being destroyed that it seemed important to us to preserve as many as possible," the couple explains. Out of the building's total 200 square meters, they demolished only 70 square meters of annexes. "We kept the overall volume of the chapel and the walls," the couple details. "We preserved the shape of the stained glass windows and the door openings, and the original rose window." Anne-Sophie recalls with amusement, "I spent several Saturday mornings scraping the stained glass window."
The renovation efforts proved worthwhile. In the evening, light reveals the beauty of the preserved rose window, which now serves as a charming backdrop for the couple's 7-year-old granddaughter's playroom. This rose window stands as the last remaining trace of what the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Chapel once offered before its new life began.
The interior transformation has been remarkable. Where altar and pews once stood, there is now a spacious kitchen, dining room, and living room flooded with natural light from large bay windows that open onto a terrace with a swimming pool. The former worship hall has been divided into two floors, with several bedrooms upstairs. The old catechism rooms have been converted into an office for Anne-Sophie's event planning agency. The overall decoration is described as "simple and warm."
"It's a modern house in an old shell," Anne-Sophie summarizes. The renovation took nearly a year of construction work, supported by an architect and Franck's expertise as a construction professional. The result is so seamless that from the outside, passersby still see a chapel.
The success of their preservation efforts has led to some amusing incidents. "In the first years we lived here, we once received offerings. People had stopped by on December 24th evening, bringing food to share a Christmas meal," Anne-Sophie recalls. Now, four years after moving in, most neighbors have grown accustomed to the residential conversion.
However, the unusual nature of their home still generates reactions. "It's always funny when our daughter's friends come to the house," Anne-Sophie smiles. These reactions have become so common that the couple sometimes forgets they live in such an extraordinary place. Their successful transformation of La Capèla stands as a testament to creative architecture and heritage preservation, demonstrating how sacred spaces can find new life while honoring their spiritual legacy.
