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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Adam's house, also known as Adam's and Eve's or Arbre-de-Vie's house, is a log house built around 1491 in the heart of Angers, at the intersection of Montault Street and Place Sainte-Croix. It illustrates the medieval civil architecture of the wealthy merchants of the late 15th century, with a carved facade and symbolic decorations like the tree of life, once surrounded by the figures of Adam and Eve, destroyed during the Revolution.

The land belonged since the beginning of the 15th century to the Lefèvre family, who built this house there after 1491, probably commissioned by the apothecary Jean Lefèvre or Jean Lebreton. The property remained in this family until 1526, before moving on to notable Angelvins such as Jacques Richard (branded in 1544) or Jean Jolivet (marked sheet in the 17th century). The house, classified as a Historic Monument in 1922, was restored several times, notably in 1994 and between 2022-2025 for a cost of 3 million euros.

Architecturally, the building has six levels, including a vaulted basement in a cradle, and a facade decorated with carved beams and picturesque characters (center, lovers, etc.). The facades and the roof, with its monumental windows, reflect the style of the bourgeois houses of the time. The house now houses the Maison des artisans d'Angers, perpetuating its link with crafts and local commerce.

Revolutionary vandalism erased some of the original sculptures, including Adam, Eve and the serpent, leaving only the apple tree. Successive restorations, such as that of 1951 or the recent renovation led by Soclova, have preserved this rare testimony of the medieval Angers, while adapting it to contemporary uses.

Its location, close to the cathedral and on an old shopping axis, highlights its historical importance in the economic and social life of the city. The archives also mention its connection to the adjacent house at 17 rue Montault, property of the same Jacques Richard in the 16th century, revealing a coherent real estate complex for the time.

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