Saviez-vous qu’à Haneffe subsistent la chapelle et la ferme d’une commanderie templière attestée en 1265, passée aux Hospitaliers puis remaniée en 1628 ?

The Haneffe commandery was first mentioned in 1265; transferred to the Hospitallers after 1312, its chapel was rebuilt in 1628 by Commander Charles de Fontaine. The site is listed as a Walloon heritage site.

Saviez-vous que les Templiers ne possédaient en Suisse que deux maisons, à La Chaux et à Genève-Rive, vite passées aux Hospitaliers après 1312 ?

Yes, La Chaux was given to the Knights Templar before 1223 and managed hospices; Genève-Rive is attested by a deed of 1277. After 1312, these properties passed to the Hospital in 1313-1315.

Saviez-vous que la Pologne abritait une « capitale » templière à Chwarszczany au XIIIᵉ siècle ?

Recent sources and studies confirm the central role of Chwarszczany and the existence of a network of Templar commanderies, later taken over by the Hospitallers after 1312-1314.

Saviez-vous que la donation royale de 1165 lança à Monsanto une marche templière dont l’héritage passa à l’Ordre du Christ en 1319 ?

Yes! In 1165, Afonso Henriques handed over the lands of Idanha and Monsanto to the Knights Templar of Gualdim Pais; in the XIVᵉ century, the Order of Christ took over their possessions and missions around Tomar.

Saviez-vous que Villers-le-Temple fut un chef-lieu templier en Hesbaye et que ses biens passèrent aux Hospitaliers après 1312 ?

Founded by Gérard de Villers in 1260 on land donated by the Abbey of Flône, the commandery remained a regional center and, after 1312, became part of the Hospitaller possessions attached to the Baillie d'Avalterre.

Saviez-vous que le quartier berlinois de Tempelhof doit son nom à une ancienne kommende templière transférée aux Hospitaliers en 1318 ?

Yes, the Tempelhof kommende, founded around 1200, passed to the Hospitallers after the suppression of 1312, via the Treaty of Kremmen (1318), while other houses, such as Lietzen, followed the same trajectory.

Saviez-vous qu’en Italie, l’église de San Bevignate conserve un rare cycle de fresques lié aux Templiers, tandis que San Vitale à Vérone révèle leur activité liturgique ?

Yes! In Italy in the XIIIᵉ-XIVᵉ centuries, San Bevignate (Perugia) offers frescoes with Templar symbols and scenes, and the house of San Vitale (Verona) delivered liturgical books attesting to the cura animarum .

Saviez-vous que, dans la Couronne d’Aragon, les biens templiers furent partagés entre Hospitaliers et Montesa après 1312 ?

Yes, in Catalonia and Aragon, most of the property passed to the Hospitallers, while in the Kingdom of Valencia the Order of Montesa (1317) was created to take over the Temple's heritage.

The Knights Templar in Europe #Terressens

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Haneffe, the Templar commandery in the Liege region

In Hesbaye, the Haneffe commandery illustrates a Templar settlement that was more managerial than warlike. Mentioned in a 1265 charter in connection with Val-Saint-Lambert, it administered lands and revenues around a chapel and fortified farm. After the suppression of 1312, the site quickly passed to the Hospitallers, whose memory is engraved in stone with the rebuilding of the chapel in 1628 by Commander Charles de Fontaine. Listed as a Walloon heritage site, the chapel and its legible agricultural volumes are regularly studied and monitored by the Walloon Heritage Agency. At Haneffe, the Temple-Hôpital continuity can be read, between archives, buildings and toponymy, at the heart of the Liège networks of the XIIIᵉ-XVIIᵉ centuries.

Sources:
. Chestret de Haneffe, "L'ordre du Temple dans l'ancien diocèse de Liège", Bulletin de la Commission royale d'Histoire, 1901
. Agence wallonne du Patrimoine (AWaP), notices et classements, "Chapelle des Templiers à Haneffe"
. Commune de Donceel, local heritage documents, "Chapelle du Temple (Haneffe)"
. AWaP, La Lettre du Patrimoine, recent dossier on the Haneffe chapel
For further information: templiers.org

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Rive and La Chaux, the little Switzerland of the Temple

In medieval French-speaking Switzerland, the Knights Templar did not rule over formidable castles, but rather managed the passage of people. In La Chaux, received before 1223 from the lords of Cossonay, the commandery coordinated hospices in Orbe, Villars-Sainte-Croix and Montbrelloz; however, in 1277, it was obliged to relinquish property, proof of its tight economy. In Geneva, a deed of sale in 1277 mentions for the first time the "Maison du Temple" in the Rive district, the gateway to Savoy and the Jura. The suppression in 1312 did not cause any drama; in Geneva as in La Chaux, the establishments quickly passed to the Hospitallers, in 1313 and 1315. This micro-map sheds light on a European constant... the same rule, but adapted locally: here, the Temple serves the flow of pilgrims, merchants and travellers between Lake Geneva and the Jura passes.

Sources:
. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, "Templiers"; "La Chaux (Cossonay)"
. Patrimoine de Genève, notice PDF "Temple - Genève" (mention of 1277)
. Wikipedia, "List of Templar commanderies in Switzerland"; "Commanderie de La Chaux"
. Swisscastles, "La Chaux, ancienne commanderie".

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Chwarszczany, forgotten capital of the Knights Templar in Poland

In the XIIIᵉ century, the Piast dukes welcomed theTemplars to Polish lands. In Chwarszczany, a Gothic brick chapel, among the first of its kind in western Poland, rises within a commandery that radiates across the region. Academic sources and syntheses emphasize the nodal role of Chwarszczany and mention a mesh of houses in Oleśnica Mała, Myślibórz, Rurka, Czaplinek or Wałcz, often founded under princely patronage. After 1312-1314, the property passed to the Hospitallers, who preserved the chapel and endowed it with remarkable frescoes in the XIVᵉ-XVᵉ centuries. Archaeological research and conservation studies carried out by Polish teams and Nicolas-Copernic University have revealed the extent of the wall decorations and the organization of the site, confirming the enduring presence of military orders in medieval Poland.

Sources:
. Nauka w Polsce(Na tropie tajemnic Templariuszy, 2005; Chwarszczańska kaplica odsłania swoje tajemnice, 2008)
. DIKE, Univ. of Pécs, M. Małecki, On the Activities of the Polish Knights' Orders (2025)
. K. Wasilkiewicz, Powstanie, rozwój i upadek komandorii templariuszy w Chwarszczanach, Ingremium (2011)
. UMK Toruń, Multispectral noninvasive techniques for investigations of Gothic mural paintings: case study of chapel in Chwarszczany
. MedievalHeritage.eu, Chwarszczany and Rurka files
. Science in Poland (PAP), Na ratunek komandorii w Chwarszczanach (2004)
Further information: templiers.org

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Monsanto, Portugal's Templar sentinel

In Portugal, the Knights Templar built a veritable frontier. With the charter of 1165, Afonso Henriques handed over the lands of Idanha and Monsanto to Gualdim Pais; the castle, built on granite, became a XIIᵉ century lock. In the same decade, Gualdim founded Tomar, whose charola was inspired by the Holy Sepulchre, while Almourol, rebuilt in 1171 on its island in the Tagus, completed the defensive line. The suppression of the Templars in 1312 did not interrupt their work; in 1319, John XXII established the Order of Christ, which collected Templar property, rights and missions, making Tomar a center of continuity right up to the time of the Discoveries. The "Portuguese case" thus shows an organization common to the West, but an original local response, negotiated between the Crown and the Papacy.

Sources:
. DGPC, " Castelo de Almourol "; SIPA, " Castelo de Monsanto "
. UNESCO, " Convent of Christ (Tomar)"
. Monumentos, " Convento de Cristo "; SIPA, " Castelo de Idanha-a-Velha " (donation of 1165)
. Papal Encyclicals, bull Ad ea ex quibus (1319)

Villers-le-Temple, Templar capital of Hesbaye. The illustrations in this section are created using artificial intelligence, under the direction of our editorial team. This technology enables us to bring historical or legendary scenes to life, while respecting our passion for authenticity and the imaginary. #Terressens, where stories take shape

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Villers-le-Temple, Templar capital of the Hesbaye region

In medieval Belgium, the Knights Templar were part of princely and episcopal networks rather than war fronts. At Villers-le-Temple, in the heart of Hesbaye, Brother Gérard de Villers obtained land from the abbey of Flône in 1260, where he established a walled commandery with four towers, a chapel and agricultural outbuildings. Several charters mention him as head of the Temple in Brabant and Hesbaye, indicating a regional management center. The abolition of the Temple in 1312 did not wipe out the village; its property passed to the Hospitallers and, in modern times, came under the Avalterre baillie of the Grand Prieuré de France. The village's toponym, preserved to the present day, reflects this Templar memory, more administrative than martial, at the crossroads of rural seigniory and the urban networks of Liège.

Sources:
. Persée § Chestret de Haneffe, "L'ordre du Temple dans l'ancien diocèse de Liège", 1901
. Wikipedia § Commanderie de Villers-le-Temple
. FranceArchives § Notice " Commanderies... Artois, Flandre, Ourthe" (Flône, Villers-le-Temple)
. Ordre de Malte Belgique § "Histoire en Belgique" (baillies, Grand Prieuré de France)
. Wikipedia § Villers-le-Temple (toponym, remains)

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Tempelhof, the footprint of the Knights Templar in Berlin

In the lands of the Empire, the Temple was less dense than in France or Iberia, but its houses were interwoven with episcopal powers and urban networks. In Berlin, the kommende of Tempelhof, created around 1200, structured a small agricultural and parish territory; its name has remained in the modern town. After 1312, the transition to the Hospitallers took time and was negotiated, as illustrated by the Treaty of Kremmen (1318). Further east, the Komturei of Lietzen, founded in 1232, also became Johannite. On the judicial side, investigations against the brothers did not result in mass burnings: the files that have been preserved focus mainly on Mainz and Magdeburg, and bear witness to a dispute managed by archbishops rather than kings. Templar Germany thus shows the same institutional framework, but with very local applications, at the crossroads of ecclesiastical lordships and towns.

Sources:
. Ralf Gebuhr, " Templer und Machtpolitik: Bemerkungen zur Kommende Tempelhof ", in Regionalität und Transfergeschichte. Ritterordenskommenden der Templer und Johanniter im nordöstlichen Deutschland und in Polen, Berlin, 2014
. Tempelhofer Feld, " History trail "
. Komturei Tempelhof (summary, Berlin)
. Komturei Lietzen, historical note
. Jochen Burgtorf, " The Templars The Rise, Fall, and Legacy of a Military Religious Order " (chapter " The Trial of the Templars in Germany "), Routledge, 2021

San Bevignate, Templar Italy in fresco. The illustrations in this section are created using artificial intelligence, under the guidance of our editorial team. This technology enables us to bring historical or legendary scenes to life, while respecting our passion for authenticity and the imaginary. #Terressens, where stories take shape

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San Bevignate, Templar Italy in frescoes

In communal Italy, the Temple speaks the language of the cities. As early as the XIIIᵉ century, its houses lined active ports and markets, from Genoa to Barletta, and took over urban sociability. In Perugia, the church of San Bevignate, founded around 1256, remains one of the most evocative testimonies: frescoes on the counter-façade with battle and embarkation scenes, Templar symbols (nine stars) and a procession of penitents, reflecting a highly mobile religious milieu. Further north, the San Vitale documentation in Verona has yielded liturgical books used by Templar priests, a sign of a highly active Templar community. cura animarum in the heart of parishes. Elena Bellomo's analysis of these settlements in north-western Italy reveals an order faithful to its rule, but adaptable to the interplay of communes, merchant networks and mediation between the Papacy and the Empire.

Sources:
. Elena Bellomo, The Templar Order in North-West Italy (1142-c.1330), Brill, 2008
. MuseiApp Perugia, "San Bevignate Templar Complex"
. European Templars Route, "The Templar heritage in Italy"; "San Bevignate Church in Perugia"
. Jochen Schenk, "The Documentary Evidence for Templar Religion" (University of Glasgow, 2017)

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Montesa, the other destiny of Spain's Knights Templar

In the Crown of Aragon, the Knights Templar were not just soldier-monks, but lords of the march. At Miravet, given to the brothers after 1153 and rebuilt in a style taken from the Holy Land, they organized a veritable regional center on the Ebro. At Monzón, one of the most powerful commanderies, the young James Iᵉʳ grew up under their care in the XIIIᵉ century, before the fortress withstood the royal operations of 1308-1309 for a long time. The suppression of 1312 did not produce the same effects everywhere; in Catalonia and Aragon, most of the property passed to the Hospitallers; in the kingdom of Valencia, James II obtained from the Pope the creation of a "national" order, Montesa (1317), intended to receive the Templar heritage and defend the frontier. This highly political redistribution illustrates the extent to which the Templar organization, though common in its principles, adapted to Iberian realities, between border wars, urban networks and negotiations between the Crown and the Papacy.

Sources:
. The Medieval Review, review of Alan Forey's The Fall of the Templars in the Crown of Aragon
. Patrimoni Gencat, "Miravet Castle"
. Turismo de Aragón, " Castillo templario de Monzón "
. Alan Forey, The Templars in the Corona de Aragón, Oxford University Press, 1973
. A. J. Forey, " Templars after the Trial. Further Evidence ", Recherches de Théologie et Philosophie médiévales, 2012 (Brepols)
. C. Barquero-Goñi, " La Orden del Hospital y la recepción de los bienes templarios. ..", Hispania Sacra, 1999