Commanderie des Templiers de Coulommiers

Coulommiers

Perched on high ground overlooking the valley of the Grand Morin, the commandery of Coulommiers kept watch at once over the farming plateau, the river and the neighbouring town – a choice of site typical of the Order of the Temple's logic, at once spiritual and economic. Its buildings, raised between the 12th and 15th centuries around a rectangular courtyard, form today the best-preserved Templar ensemble north of the Loire: tithe barn, dovecote, commander's lodging and the chapel of Sainte-Anne, whose 13th-century wall paintings have come down through the centuries. Like all Templar possessions, the estate was seized during the general arrest of 1307, then transferred to the Hospitallers after the dissolution of the Order in 1312. Long forgotten, the commandery only obtained protection as a monument historique in 1932, then a reinforced listing in 1994 on account of its rarity. Since then, an association of volunteers has been restoring and bringing the site to life; it is open to the public for much of the year, with a medieval garden recreated in the spirit of the kitchen and medicinal gardens once tended by the brothers of the Order.

Getting there : 1 avenue Foch, 77120 Coulommiers, about 60 km east of Paris

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound