Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée, located in Yvignac-la-Tour (anciennement Yvignac) (Département 22), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Yvignac-la-Tour (anciennement Yvignac), Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.3863, -2.1554
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089754
A lost vestige of the Knights Templar in the Breton countryside, the Commandery of La Nouée embodies the discreet yet enduring influence of the Templar monks-soldiers on 12th-century Armorica.
History
In the heart of the Côtes-d'Armor region, not far from the village of Yvignac-la-Tour, the Commandery of La Nouée stands as an intact fragment of a medieval organisation whose economic and spiritual influence extended far beyond the borders of the Kingdom of France. Founded in the 12th century by the Order of the Temple, this small monastic and agricultural lordship is one of the rare Breton testimonies to the presence of the Templars, in a region where the Order set up a handful of houses intended to drain resources and recruits for the crusades in the Holy Land. What makes La Nouée unique among the commanderies of the West is precisely its discretion. Unlike the great commanderies of Languedoc and Champagne, the House of La Nouée was a modest rural establishment, dedicated to farming the land of Brittany - its fields, mills and woods - to feed the Order's finances. This management vocation is still evident in the sober layout of its buildings, where local stone stands side by side with the austerity characteristic of the Templar ideal inherited from Saint Bernard. To visit La Nouée is to accept an encounter with history at its rawest. No pomp, no ostentatious decoration: the site imposes a form of silent respect, conducive to contemplation. The stocky volumes, thick walls and narrow openings evoke a world where the defence of heritage and prayer punctuated rigorous days. The surrounding hedged farmland, typical of inland Brittany, reinforces this impression of deliberate isolation, as if the order had sought to keep its possessions out of sight. The site has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1976, and its protection is a testament to its recognised heritage value. It may not be as obvious as a fortified castle, but it rewards the attentive visitor who is curious about medieval history with an authentic atmosphere and a historical density that few places in Brittany can claim.
Architecture
The Commanderie de la Nouée has the typical architectural features of rural Templar establishments from the second half of the 12th century: functional sobriety dictated as much by the Bernardine ideal as by the constraints of a site far from major urban centres. The masonry, built of local schist and granite rubble - the dominant stones in traditional Breton buildings - is of considerable thickness, providing good thermal insulation and passive resistance in the event of a threat. The original openings, where they remain, are characterised by their narrow splaying and round arches, typical of the late Romanesque style in force at the time of the building's foundation. The general layout of the commandery was probably based around an enclosed or semi-enclosed courtyard, combining the commander's dwelling, a chapel, a barn, stables and accommodation for the serving brothers - the canonical layout of rural Templar commanderies found in comparable sites such as Villedieu (Manche) and La Lande-de-Lann (Finistère). The chapel, the central element of any Templar establishment, was to have a single nave with a flat or semi-circular chevet, in accordance with the architectural practices of the Order in the northern zone. The building has undergone a number of alterations over the centuries, most notably during the hospital takeover in the 14th and 15th centuries, when certain bays were modified and comfort features were probably added. Traces of mullioned windows and chamfered lintels bear witness to these successive chronological layers, visible in the stone to the trained eye. Registration as a Historic Monument has enabled the most fragile masonry to be stabilised and the overall appearance of the site to be preserved.
Related Figures
Hugues de Payns — fondateur de l'ordre du Temple en 1119, dont l'idéal missionnaire est à l'origine de l'implantation templière en BretagneSaint Bernard de Clairvaux — théologien et inspirateur de la règle templière (De laude novae militiae, 1130), dont l'esthétique austère gouverne l'architecture de la NouéePhilippe IV le Bel — roi de France auteur de la dissolution de l'ordre du Temple (1307-1312), marquant la fin de l'exploitation templière de la commanderieClément V — pape qui officialisa la suppression de l'ordre au concile de Vienne (1312) et ordonna le transfert des biens aux HospitaliersGuillaume de Sonnac — grand maître du Temple originaire du Périgord, emblème des chevaliers qui bénéficiaient des revenus collectés dans des commanderies comme la Nouée
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée located?
Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée is located in Yvignac-la-Tour (anciennement Yvignac), Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée built?
Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée open to visitors?
Ancienne commanderie du Temple de la Nouée is currently closed to visitors.