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Origin and history

The Chapel of the Templars of Avignon, built between 1273 and 1281, is a rare testimony of Provencal Gothic architecture. The Templars settled in the city as early as the 12th century, with a first written mention in 1174 ("domus militia"). The command office, initially subordinated to that of Arles, became autonomous in 1243. In 1259, an act located the Templar house near the church of Saint-Agricol, probably at the current location of the chapel. It was named Notre-Dame-de-Bethléem in 1281 in a will.

After the dissolution of the Order of the Temple in 1308, the goods passed to the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem in 1312. The latter abandoned their command of Saint-Jean-le-Vieux to settle in the former Templar house around 1330, despite conflicts with the Prior of Saint-Pierre. A papal letter of 1342 confirms their presence. In the 15th century, the commandory was rented to lords, who undertook to maintain a chaplain and buildings. Hospitallers, few present, turn it into a source of income.

The French Revolution marked a turning point: the command office was sold as a national property in 1793. The chapel, converted into stables and then a hostel, escapes demolition. In 1875, Anselme Mathieu partially restored it, transforming the floor into a restaurant for his hotel, the Hôtel du Louvre, a meeting place for felibres like Frédéric Mistral. Classified as a Historic Monument in 2000, it is now a cultural place integrated with the Petit Louvre, participating in the Festival Off d'Avignon.

From an architectural point of view, the chapel adopts a rectangular plan (23.80 m x 8 m) divided into four vaulted bays dogives quadripartites. The polygonal capitals and pillars with grouped columns recall the Saint-Jean-de-Malte church of Aix-en-Provence, built at the same time. The first span houses a stand supported by a dogive vault, a distinctive element of the building.

Historical sources underline its role in the religious and social life of Avignon. The visit reports of the 16th–15th centuries describe a declining commandery, where chaplains, often absent, are replaced by secular clergy. Despite minor changes, the medieval structure remains largely preserved, thanks to its gradual abandonment by the Hospitallers after the 14th century.

Today, the chapel embodies a heritage that is both templier, hospitable and cultural. Its rescue in the 19th century, then its contemporary rehabilitation, make it a symbol of the medieval memory of Avignon, between religious history and modern artistic life.

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