Commanderie de Pont-Melvez

Pont-Melvez

The commandery of Pont-Melvez is one of the oldest attested possessions of the Order of the Temple in Brittany, mentioned as early as 1182. After the dissolution of the Templars around 1312, it passed to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem (the future Knights of Malta), who installed a resident commander there until the 16th century. The site then became a dependent member of the great commandery of La Feuillée, before becoming once more, on the eve of the Revolution, the favourite residence of the last commanders. Of the Templar and later Hospitaller manor only a few elements survive: a moulded doorway, two armorial shields (one of which hides a Maltese cross beneath three cinquefoils), late medieval stoups, and the moats and ponds of the site. The neighbouring parish church, largely rebuilt in 1850, has kept the 16th-century west portal of the earlier building.

Getting there : Remains of the manor on private property; the parish church, which retains a 16th-century portal and a 14th–15th-century statue of Saint John the Baptist, can be visited freely.

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

Ambient sound