Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The command office of Jalès, located in the plain of Berrias (Ardèche), is founded around 1140 by the Templars, among the oldest still standing in France. Hugues de Payns and Raymond Pelet are cited as founders. Originally conceived as a centre for fund-raising and food without a military vocation, it passed under the control of the Hospitallers in the 14th century after the persecutions of Philip the Bel. The Hospitallers turned her into a stronghouse, adding towers, courtings and scalables to protect herself during the Hundred Years War.

In the 18th century, the commandory underwent a revival under the impulse of Commander Pierre-Emmanuel de Laubarivière de Quinsonas (from 1740). He made it his residence by modernising the premises: creation of three luxurious apartments, introduction of innovative crops (vignes, mulberry trees, chestnut trees), and breeding of silkworms. The richly decorated interiors (sculpted woodwork, walnut fireplaces, golden leather tapestries) contrast with the medieval exterior appearance, marked by crenellated walls and a drawbridge. Lauberiviere also restores feudal rights and improves land management, doping income.

In 1782 the commandary was entrusted to baili Pierre André de Suffren, naval hero of the American War of Independence. Although he did not reside there permanently, he made stays there in 1786-1787, receiving his family there and making arrangements there for more comfort. Suffren particularly appreciates Jalès, whom he describes as "fort logable" with his "good vegetable garden". His declining health prevented his return in 1788, the year of his death. The Commanderie then became a home of the Camps de Jalès, counter-revolutionary episodes.

The chapel, originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary (1151) and then to Saint Mary Magdalene in the 13th century, preserves Romanesque elements (half-circular apse, three-span nave, gate in the middle of the hangar) and medieval murals. Transformed into an attic around the 16th century, it illustrates the evolution of the site. The cellar and the Romanesque buildings, despite revolutionary degradations, bear witness to its templar past. Since 1981, it has been listed as a Historical Monument.

Today, the commissionory houses an antenna of the CNRS (Archeorist Laboratory), specialized in the study of the ancient Middle East, and hosts cultural events such as the Festival Labeaume en Musique. The visits, organized by the association Act.

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