Maison de Jeanne, Timber-framed house in Sévérac-d'Aveyron, France.
Maison de Jeanne is a timber-framed house at 10 rue de Belvezet, on the corner of the Passage de l'Hospice in Sévérac-le-Château. Its upper storeys overhang a smaller ground floor, and the exterior is clad in rough stone with exposed vertical and horizontal wooden beams. The building has a ground floor, two upper storeys and a vaulted cellar.
The building was constructed in spring 1478 and represents one of the precisely dated medieval residences in the region. Scientific analysis of the original timber confirmed this early construction date through wood sample study.
The house is named after Jeanne, its last occupant, an artist who lived there until her death; it then stood empty for about 40 years before the municipality bought it in 1995. Since then Sévérac has used it in summer for visits and medieval events. It stands at no. 10 rue de Belvezet, on the corner of the Passage de l'Hospice.
The house stands at no. 10 rue de Belvezet, on the corner of the Passage de l'Hospice, in Sévérac-le-Château. It is owned by the municipality and used in summer for visits and medieval events; the sources give no fixed tour size or schedule, so check locally before coming.
The house owes its fame to a photograph posted on Imgur by an American tourist on 6 May 2017, which drew over 1.5 million views in two days. Online posts then claimed it was built in the 12th or 13th century and was the oldest house in Aveyron, France or even the world; dendrochronology places the felling of its oldest timbers in spring 1478.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,455 contributors worldwide.