Maison de Jeanne (lit. 'Jeanne's House') is a 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 one of the oldest houses 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 | |
| Address | 10, rue de la rue Belvezet, Sévérac-le-Château, |
| Town or city | Aveyron |
| Country | France |
| Coordinates | 44°19′19″N 3°04′08″E / 44.3219°N 3.0689°E |
| Opened | 15th century |
| Renovated | 2019 |
| Owner | Municipality of Sévérac-d'Aveyron (1995) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Timber, stone and Cob |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | Philippe Blondin |
| Main contractor |
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The timber frame and cob structure was dated to the spring of 1478 by Christophe Perrault. It was vacant since the 1970s and it was purchased by the municipality of Sévérac in 1995. The building was renovated in 2019.
Jeanne's House became famous on the internet, described with enthusiasm but without foundation as the oldest house of Aveyron or even France.
History
editThe building was constructed in the 1400s and is assumed to be one of the oldest house in the department of the Aveyron.[1] In 2018, the house was dated through a dendrochronology analysis by Christophe Perrault who directs the Center for Studies in Dendrochronology; experts took samples of corings within the timbers which were used to build the structure. Through the process the home was dated to the spring of 1478. [1][2] The name of the home comes from the last occupant of the home: an artist named Jeanne.[3] The building has been unoccupied since the 1970s.[1]
Le Figaro attributes the unusual design of the building to the local tax laws at the time of construction, suggesting that they were based on the floorplan of the building and that the original owner built the upper floors wider and larger than the ground floor.[3] The structure may also be a result of jettying, a common practice in French architecture in the 13th to the 16th centuries, which prevents the floor from bowing and makes a building more structurally sound.[4]
The house was purchased by the municipality of Sévérac in 1995 and restoration and repair work was planned.
Jeanne's House became famous following the publication of the photograph of a tourist from the United States on May 6, 2017, on the image hosting site Imgur. It attracted the attention of more than 1.5 million people in two days. [5][6] The house was then described on social networks with enthusiasm but without foundation as built between the 12th century and the 13th century, and was alternatively presented as the oldest house of the department of the Aveyron or of France or even of the world.
Design
editThe 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.[7] 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.[3] The exterior of the home is clad in stone.[8]
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, and replacements were cut and sized.[9] The exterior masonry work was completed by the Muzzarelli company. The Drulhet company handled the carpentry, and the electricity; plumbing work was completed by the Molinié company. Authentic lime plaster was used in the interior of the house.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c Errard, Guillaume (23 May 2022). "Cette maison, star d'Internet, est âgée de plus de 500 ans". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Hisbacq, Fabien (30 May 2022). "Aveyron. Non, cette maison n'est pas la plus vieille de France (mais elle n'est pas jeune non plus)". actu.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ Huyghe, René (1964). Larousse Encyclopedia of Renaissance and Baroque Art. Prometheus Press. p. 212.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "We will finally know if the Maison de Jeanne is really the oldest in all of Aveyron". La Dépêche. 10 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b "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.
