House of the Three Wet Nurses

The House of the Three Wet Nurses, in Narbonne

The House of the Three Wet Nurses is a fine Renaissance residence of Narbonne, famous for its window adorned with caryatids. The Narbonne audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this private mansion with a picturesque name, a jewel of the heritage of the town.

The Renaissance mansion with caryatids

The House of the Three Wet Nurses is a picturesque residence of Narbonne, with a singular history. Built in the twelfth century, it only became a private mansion in the sixteenth century, when it was acquired and transformed by the powerful Guissane family, which gave it its Renaissance face. Its amusing name, the House of the Three Wet Nurses, comes from its magnificent mullioned window, adorned with sculpted caryatids, generous female figures that support the structure. Popular tradition saw in them wet nurses, hence the nickname of the house. This fine worked façade, a witness of the refinement of the Renaissance, is one of the most remarkable architectural elements of the town. The House of the Three Wet Nurses is a jewel of the heritage of Narbonne, to be admired during the walk.

What to see

You admire the fine Renaissance residence and above all its magnificent mullioned window adorned with sculpted caryatids, female figures that popular tradition took for wet nurses, hence the name of the house, transformed in the sixteenth century by the Guissane family. The House of the Three Wet Nurses is a jewel of the heritage of Narbonne. It is a stop to be admired, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The House of the Three Wet Nurses lies in the heart of the old town of Narbonne, reachable on foot. You mainly admire its façade and the window with caryatids from the street; it is a residence whose access follows its own uses. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Where does the name of the House of the Three Wet Nurses in Narbonne come from?

From its magnificent mullioned window adorned with sculpted caryatids, generous female figures that popular tradition took for wet nurses; this twelfth-century residence was transformed into a Renaissance mansion in the sixteenth century by the Guissane family.

Where is the House of the Three Wet Nurses?

In the heart of the old town of Narbonne, in France.