Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The House of Love, located in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, is a 14th century building, characteristic of medieval civil architecture. It is distinguished by its stone ground floor, topped by three floors in wooden panels slightly corbelled, with brick fillings. This type of construction, typical of medieval cities, reflects the techniques of the time, combining robustness and functional aesthetics.

The façade features three bays on the ground floor, including a door framed with two low arches, remains of old shops. One of these bows, adorned with a carved key representing a kissing couple, gave its name to the house and suggests its past use as a closed house in the Middle Ages. This assumption is reinforced by the presence of an evocative sign, although direct sources are lacking to confirm this function definitively.

A segmental arcade on the ground floor, classified as a historical monument by decree of 26 April 1923, is the only remaining element of an adjacent house built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Iconographic documents indicate that the upper wood panel structure, probably added in the 17th century, was demolished in 1931, leaving only this arcade as evidence of the past. The present house, rebuilt after the demolition, incorporates this historical element into its modern architecture.

Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, a prosperous medieval town, was a commercial and artisanal crossroads in Occitanie. Wooden houses, such as the House of Love, often served as places of commerce, housing or accommodation for travellers. Their preservation offers an overview of urban life and the customs of the time, where architecture and social function were closely intertwined.

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