Templar commandery of Avalleur

Situated on the plateau overlooking Bar-sur-Seine, the Templar commandery of Avalleur is a historical complex of great interest for the Département de l'Aube and for the history of Champagne.

Between Burgundy and Champagne, the land of Avalleur was given before 1142 to the Templar Order. The commandery was established around 1167 and developed until 1300, the date of the last donation.

When, on 22 March 1312, Pope Clement V pronounced the suppression of the Order of the Temple, he ordered that its goods be returned to the Hospitallers. The Hospitallers then took possession of Avalleur's lands. But the estate was still managed in the same way. The commandery of Avalleur was then one of the richest commanderies of the Order. In the 13th century, it expanded to a dozen villages and its possessions extended as far as the gates of Troyes.

After the Revolution, the Commandery became a national asset and was sold to the Comte de Brosse who placed farmers there.
Abbot Prud, parish priest of Bar-sur-Seine, bought the chapel in 1865 and his after his death, it was donated to the parish of Bar-sur-Seine and then the to municipality in 1905.
The chapel isclassified as a historical monument since 1921.

The commandery of Avalleur is one of the rare Templar ensembles in France. Despite some alterations, the architectural interest of the Avalleur commandery is indisputable.
The chapel, miraculously intact, with its painted decorations and its beautiful frame, is a typical example of the Templar naves of Eastern France. As for the main building, an examination of its walls revealed that they essentially date from its origin.

Apart from this opening period in summer, groups by reservation.

Last updated on 29/10/2021 - Office de Tourisme de la Côte des Bar en Champagne