La Maison des Inquants, Narbonne

Working day today, so I only had 5 minutes to do some blipping before my yoga class. This isn't a very good photo, but I love the way that many buildings and streets in Narbonne are a palimpsest of different eras. Two thousand years ago, Narbo Martius was the most important city in southern Gaul. Sadly, the city fathers through the ages didn't take much care of their ancient monuments, and there's almost nothing left from the Roman period, with what there is badly maintained and presented (a pet peeve of mine).

There is still plenty to see from the medieval period though, and strolling the streets of the older parts of town is very rewarding. La Maison des Inquants dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, and there were once three of these Gothic windows. A plaque on it reads:

At the heart of the weavers' quarter, this house was the site of cloth auctions (inquants) for export, the major element of a great maritime commerce, which was then at its apogee.