Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Maison Notre-Dame, better known as the Templar House of Douai, was founded in 1155 by Thierry d'Alsace, Count of Flanders. Located in the city of Douai, in the northern department, it originally belonged to the order of the Temple. This building illustrates the establishment of military religious orders in the region during the Middle Ages, playing both a spiritual and a strategic role.

Upon the disappearance of the Order of the Temple, the house was transferred to the Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, who occupied it until the French Revolution. This change of hand reflects the political and religious upheavals that marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern era. The monument preserves traces of this dual belonging, notably through architectural elements and archaeological discoveries.

In 1928 the Templar House of Douai was classified as a historic monument, recognizing its heritage value. Among the notable discoveries, a tumular stone exhumed in 1810 in the chapel reveals the existence of Guillaume Cauursin, hospital commander who died in 1455. This epitaph, now preserved in the gardens of the lodge of the Freemasons of Douai, offers a tangible testimony of the history of the Hospitallers in the region.

The tumular stone, measuring two metres in length and one metre in width, bears the inscription and effigy of Guillaume Caoursin, identified as Commander of Mondidier and Dourges. Research suggests that he could be the uncle or even the father of Guillaume Cauursin, vice-chancellor of the order of Saint John. This discovery underscores the historic importance of the site and its link to the major figures of the order.

The current address of the monument, 76 rue du Temple in Douai, corresponds to the old command office. The facades and roofs of buildings on street and courtyard were protected by the 1928 classification. Although some practical information, such as access to the public, is not specified in the sources, the site remains a major architectural and historical testimony of the presence of religious orders in northern France.

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