Maison de Jeanne

Maison de Jeanne (lit. 'Jeanne's House') is a late 15th century house in Sévérac-le-Château, Aveyron, France. It was named for the last known owner of the building and is thought to be the oldest house in Aveyron. The unique appearance of the structure is due to the larger dimensions of the upper floors, which look large compared to the smaller footprint of the first floor.

Maison de Jeanne
General information
Address10, rue de la rue Belvezet, Sévérac-le-Château,
Town or cityAveyron
CountryFrance
Coordinates44.3219°N 3.0689°E / 44.3219; 3.0689
OpenedLate 15th century
Renovated2019
OwnerMunicipality of Sévérac-d'Aveyron (1995)
Technical details
MaterialTimber, stone and Cob (material)
Renovating team
Architect(s)Philippe Blondin
Main contractor
  • Muzzarelli company (Masonry)
  • Drulhet company (Carpentry and Electrical
  • Molinié company (plumbing)

History

The building was dated after 1478 and is presumed to be the oldest half-timbered house in the department of Aveyron.[1][2][3][4][5] The name of the home comes from the last occupant of the home: an artist named Jeanne.[6]

The reason for the unusual design of the building has been attributed to the local tax laws at the time of construction. In Aveyron the taxes of a home were calculated by the amount of land that the ground-level floor occupied. It is thought that the original owner wanted to pay less tax, and built the upper floors wider and larger than the ground floor.[6]

The house was purchased by the municipality of Sévérac in 1995 and restoration and repair work was planned. In 2017, someone shared a photo of the medieval home on the image-sharing site Imgur and it attracted the attention of more than 1.5 million people in two days.[7][5]

Design

The home was constructed with a timber frame and from walls made of cob. The home was designed with larger upper floors overhanging a smaller footprint.[8] The building has two storeys and a vaulted cellar containing feed troughs, which indicate that the original owners lived with their animals on the lower floor.[6] Originally the exterior of the home was clad in stone.[4]

In 2019, repairs and renovations on the building began.[9] The renovations were supervised by architect Philippe Blondin.[10] The roof was originally slate tiles, and each roof tile was removed and measured by Serge Causse, with replacements being cut and sized.[9] The exterior masonry work was completed by the Muzzarelli company. The Drulhet company handled the carpentry, and the electricity and plumbing work was completed by the Molinié company. Authentic lime plaster was used in the interior of the house.[10]

References
  1. Aveyron. Non, cette maison n'est pas la plus vieille de France (mais elle n'est pas jeune non plus)
  2. La maison de Sévérac-d'Aveyron est-elle la plus vieille de France encore entièrement debout ?
  3. Cette maison, star d’Internet, est âgée de plus de 500 ans
  4. Kleczinski, Nathalie (11 August 2021). "La Maison de Jeanne: the oldest house in France is over 700 years old and is located in Aveyron". Neozone. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  5. "We will finally know if the Maison de Jeanne is really the oldest in all of Aveyron". La Dépêche. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  6. "The oldest house in the Aveyron goes around the world". grandsudinsolite. Grandsud Insolite. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. "Ancient Aveyron house is a web celebrity". English Language Media. Connexion France. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  8. "La Maison De Jeanne - One of the Oldest Houses in Aveyron". Tourisme Aveyron. Tourism Aveyron. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. "Sévérac-d'Aveyron Jeanne's house has found its blanket". Journal de Millau. 6 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  10. "The oldest house in Aveyron will be restored". Centre Presse. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
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