Ancient Aveyron house is a web celebrity

One of the oldest houses in Averyron, Occitanie, has become a worldwide hit as it has been seen more than 1.7million times on sharing site Imgur.

Called the Maison de Jeanne, the house in rue Belvezet, Sévérac-le-Château, is a bit rundown but still has its colombage half-timbered walls with cob, its overhanging construction and exposed beams.

An image posted on Imgur at the weekend drew more than 1.5million views in just two days and has made the house a celebrity on a site where images are rarely seen more than a few thousand times.

Sévérac-le-Château is easy to visit, just off the A75 autoroute, about half a dozen junctions north of the Millau viaduct at the turn-off for Rodez, and the house will be open this summer for visits.

In July and August it will host medieval activities – with a maximum of 20 people inside to see its well-preserved kitchen and the vaulted cellar with feeding stations for cattle.

Although the Imgur poster says that the house dates from the 13th century, the local tourist office believes it is from the 14th century… and the mystery will be resolved later this year when dendrochronological wood-dating tests will give a definitive answer.

The house was bought by Sévérac in 1995 and mayor Camille Galibert is organising some restoration work on the walls and roof this year.