La Maison de la Cadene House, Saint Emilion
Only timbered house in Saint Emilion, it dates from 16th-century
Although the timber facade of this house in Saint Emilion dates from the 16th-century, the foundations were built even earlier than that.
The gate and doorway itself was probably used to separate the nobility in the upper part of the town from the more modest lower town. The origin of the word "cadena" is from Gascon (a dialect of Occitan) meaning "chain", which could refer to the presence of a chain that physically divided the city into two parts but there is no visible trace on the building today.
The house is the only half-timbered house int he city that has remained intact and still has a remarkable tower on the other side. If you go inside you will be able to see the beautiful corkscrew staircase that dates from the16th-century and allows access to the tower.
The Porte de la Cadène opens the Rue de la Cadène, a pretty little shopping street in Saint Emlion.
