PARIS: Rue François Miron

Rue François Miron is an ancient road in the heart of the Marais that skirts the left side of the church of St-Gervais, and the tall, slender houses at number 11 and 13 are two of the oldest remaining medieval houses in Paris, dating from the thirteen hundreds. It’s all the more amazing that they have survived, given that they are constructed of exposed wood half timbering, prohibited at the time because of risk of fire. The law required that exposed wood be covered with plaster of Paris, made readily available from the plentiful supply of gypsum in the soil. In medieval times, roof gables faced the street.