Maisons des Chanoines, Historical residence in Noyon, France

The Maisons des Chanoines form a row of canon houses on the cathedral square of Noyon, built against one another and reworked over several centuries. Their stone gables carry the remains of a watchtower and spiral staircases, and the masonry shows where adjoining structures once stood.

A devastating fire in 1552 damaged the building, prompting extensive reconstruction during the 17th and 18th centuries. Despite this destruction, builders deliberately preserved portions of the original medieval architecture, making the structure a testament to multiple building periods.

The canons' houses stand in a row along the cathedral square, each with its own facade but sharing a common alignment facing the bishop's palace. This arrangement shows how the cathedral chapter organised its residential quarter, with individual dwellings grouped to form a single front. Look for the differences between neighbouring facades, which mark the separate households within the ensemble.

The complex sits centrally on the cathedral square and is easy to access and identify from outside. Visitors should allow time to examine the facades carefully to appreciate all the architectural details and historical traces that tell the building's story.

The right gable still carries the anchor marks and joist holes where a defensive tower and wall once met the house; the outline of the removed structure can be traced in the masonry. Inside, a discharge arch and a 17th-century staircase survive from later campaigns.