Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Courval Commanderie, also called Corval, is located in the new town of Valdallière, at the place called the Hospital, 3 km from Vassy (Calvados, Normandy). Founded in the middle of the 12th century, it was established by local lords such as Philippe de Vassy and Guillaume de Vicques, although its foundation documents have disappeared. An agreement of 1226, involving Abbé d'Aunay and Guillaume d'Aquila (templar tutor of Normandy), attests to a conflict over the tithes of Vassy and the fief d'Aligny, given to the Templars by Philippe de Vassy.

On 13 Oct. 1307, under the orders of Philippe le Bel, the Templars of Courval were arrested: Commander Étienne de Châteauneuf and his knights, Guillaume Tane and Richard Bellenguel, were imprisoned in Caen. Sentenced for denying their vows, they escaped execution. After the order was dissolved in 1312, the commandary passed to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, who also inherited disputes with the Abbey of Aunay.

Under the Hospitallers, the site was rebuilt in the 15th century after a fire in 1346. The first hospital commander, Simon du Fay, marked this transition. In 1775, the estate extended over 75 hectares, with contested ecclesiastical privileges, such as the making of water blessed by the chaplain. The Revolution ended their possession, and the command office became a farm.

Rediscovered in 1991, the chapel (classified in 1994) was restored by an individual before being abandoned. In 2021, a couple of architects acquired it to transform it into a cultural place (concerts, exhibitions) and a family residence. The site preserves medieval frescoes and architecture combining Romanesque (XIIe) and Gothic (XVe).

The outbuildings included seven fiefs around Vassy, royalties, and lands like the Templery at Ashnedollé. A Templar and Hospital Cemetery, mentioned in 1937, would have existed on site, without archaeological evidence of the cross-armed graves. The annual revenues, strengthened for 750 pounds, came from tithes and cens.

Today, the commissionory combines heritage and contemporary projects, with a chapel dedicated to cultural events and a house transformed into a tea salon. Its history reflects the transitions between military orders, feudal conflicts, and modern adaptations of a medieval site.

External links