An extension to the Savonnerie, the royal and then national carpet manufacturer dating back to Henri IV, it was named after the former soap manufacturer that Louis XIII set up in 1627. The Lodève workshop was opened in 1966 and moved into new buildings in 1990. The workshop produces carpets by contemporary artists such as Paulin, Hajdu, Lalane and Morellet and reproduces carpets from the 17th to 19th centuries. The carpets are sent to the Mobilier National to be distributed to the offices of...