La Rochelle is a port city on France’s Atlantic shore, understood for its medieval towers, naval heritage, and fascinating Old Port. It’s best-known for its unspoiled historical style and its role during World War II, when it served as a strategic submarine base for the German U-boats. One of its much less popular well-known– yet quite precious– functions is this inconsistent earthenware cat set down high up on the roofline, clinging precariously to the front gable.
La Maison du Chat, or “The Feline Residence,” would stand out also without its strange feline function. Integrated in 1926 in the Norman Revival style, your house sporting activities a wood-and-plaster exterior done up in Basque red with ceramic garniture. The resident rooftop cat is primarily white with spots of color one could find on a typical garden moggy. It has a stylish arched form, its tail upright and sharp as if prepared to pounce on an unaware rodent hurrying far below.
Why does this startled feline sit high over the road? Was it a spirited touch by Maurice Morguet, the architect? Or were the proprietors merely keen on felines? To now, no one recognizes the sculpture’s beginnings. We do recognize that the incongruous animal has endeared itself to locals and site visitors alike.
1 city on France2 France Atlantic coast
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