Paul Cauchie was born in Ath in 1875. At the age of 16, Paul Cauchie started to study architecture in Antwerp. In 1893, he enrolled at the Brussels Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he met Caroline Voet aka Lina, one of the first women admitted to the academy. They both won several prizes and in 1899 Paul was awarded a travel grant which enabled him to travel to Italy.