Ancienne commanderie de Malte
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancienne commanderie de Malte, located in Luzeret (Indre), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Luzeret, Indre, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 46.5425, 1.3912
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097386
A stone sentinel of the Order of Malta in Berry, this medieval commandery reveals a gateway with a double drawbridge, decrowning towers and Renaissance moulded windows of rare elegance.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the peaceful village of Luzeret in the Indre region, the former Commandery of Malta is one of the few remaining witnesses to the presence of the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem in the Bas-Berry region. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1929, it is part of the little-known but fascinating network of monastic-military strongholds that once criss-crossed rural France, providing funding and recruitment for expeditions to the Holy Land and then the Mediterranean. What immediately sets the Luzeret Commandery apart is the overlapping of its eras. From the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, each generation of knights or commanders left their signature in stone: a monumental entrance gate still marked by the imprint of a double drawbridge, a bas-relief that is now mutilated but whose outlines bear witness to an ambitious iconographic programme, windows framed by Renaissance mouldings with bases adorned with fleshy foliage. This temporal stratification gives the site a rare depth. Behind the first wall, a second portcullis reinforces the impression of an architecture designed as much for pomp as for defence. The main buildings around the inner courtyard still have richly moulded doors and windows, a true sample of the evolution of architectural taste from the late Middle Ages to the Classical Age. The four large towers that punctuate the ensemble are a reminder that the building has survived the centuries without always enjoying the protection it deserved. To visit the Luzeret Commandery is to accept the challenge of deciphering an aristocratic and learned ruin. The site invites slow contemplation, with a keen eye for sculpted details, stone joints and the proportions of the bays. Lovers of medieval and Renaissance architecture will find inexhaustible material here, far from the crowds, in a rural setting typical of deep Berry.
Architecture
The architecture of the Luzeret Commandery reflects three centuries of construction and alterations, from the flamboyant Gothic of the late 15th century to the sober classical additions of the 17th century. The general plan is that of a fortified establishment organised in depth: an initial defensive enclosure pierced by a monumental gateway, then an inner courtyard accessible via a second gateway, around which the main buildings are arranged. The entrance gate is the most spectacular feature of the site. Its traces of a double drawbridge - a rare device that involved two successive drawbridges to multiply the obstacles to an assailant - bear witness to a sophisticated defensive design. The bas-relief above it, now mutilated, probably bore the arms of the order or those of a benefactor commander. Below, a window framed by late Gothic mouldings with carefully carved foliage adds a refined decorative touch. The second inner gate, fitted with portcullises, confirms the concern for defence in depth that was typical of military architecture in the late Middle Ages. The main buildings overlooking the courtyard feature a remarkable collection of moulded bays spanning two centuries of architectural taste: bracketed arches and prismatic mouldings for the 15th-century Gothic features, flat frames with crossettes and beaded architraves for the Renaissance period, and soberly profiled straight lintels for the 17th century. The four corner towers, which were removed at an undetermined date, were originally intended to rise to two or three additional storeys, giving the building a much more imposing silhouette. The materials used - fine-grained local limestone, probably tufa for the sculpted elements - are in keeping with the building traditions of Berry and neighbouring Poitou.
Related Figures
Frères Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem — fondateurs et gestionnaires de la commanderie du XIIe au XVIIIe siècleGrand Maître de l'ordre de Malte — autorité suprême dont relevait la commanderie dans la hiérarchie hospitalièreCommandeurs locaux du XVe siècle — maîtres d'ouvrage du portail à pont-levis et des premières toursCommandeurs de la Renaissance (XVIe siècle) — responsables des embellissements à fenêtres moulurées et culots de feuillagePhilippe de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam — Grand Maître qui transféra l'ordre à Malte en 1530, réorganisant toutes les commanderies françaisesAdministrateurs révolutionnaires de l'Indre — agents de la saisie des biens hospitaliers en 1792-1793
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne commanderie de Malte located?
Ancienne commanderie de Malte is located in Luzeret, Indre department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Ancienne commanderie de Malte built?
Ancienne commanderie de Malte dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancienne commanderie de Malte open to visitors?
Ancienne commanderie de Malte is currently closed to visitors.