Midi-Pyrénées

Midi-Pyrénées, now part of Occitanie, is a former region in southern France separated from Spain by the Pyrenees Mountains. Its capital, Toulouse, is known for its university, aerospace industry and Romanesque St. Sernin Basilica, part of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route. Pilgrims also flock to the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858.