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Origin and history

Boixe's command office, founded in the mid-12th century, was originally a possession of the Templars. It was first mentioned in 1207 when its chapel was built. After the dissolution of the Order of the Temple, it was transferred to the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. This site, also known as the Courreau Chapel, is located between the so-called Courreau and Temple sites near Angoulême.

During the Hundred Years' War, the command was abandoned and then damaged by the Wars of Religion. In the 16th century, it became a dependence of the commandory of the Fouilloux, under the name of chapel of the Courreau. In 1615 it was already in decline, and its vault collapsed in 1851. Today, only the walls of the chapel remain, with traces of its Romanesque architecture, like a triplet of narrow bays.

The chapel, rectangular, was oriented to the east and had a unique vault. A door in the middle of the hangar served as an entrance, while the western facade bears the traces of a restoration in the eighteenth century. The remains, registered as historical monuments since 2013, are managed by the Friends of the Temple of Boixe Association. Nearby, the residence of the Commander, dating from the late 15th century, was restored in the 1990s.

This monument illustrates the simple architecture of the Templar Chapels of the region, with a flat bedside pierced with three bays. It also reflects the historical upheavals suffered by military orders, from Templars to Hospitallers, through religious conflicts and periods of abandonment. Archaeological remains and outbuildings, though ruined, offer a glimpse of medieval monastic life.

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