Fork Ermitage (rests) en Seine-et-Marne

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Forks' hermitage, sometimes called Forks-en-Gâtinais, is a site in ruins located in Vaudoué, on the edge of the forest of Fontainebleau (Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France). It was once part of a Templar Commandery, whose main vestige is the Chapel Saint-Blaise. This domain, whose exact origin remains unknown, dates back to at least the twelfth century. The texts of the sixteenth century mention it as a hospital of Forche dependent on the parish of Vaudoué, including a house, a chapel dedicated to Saint Blaise, and more than 500 acres of land. The commander exercised complete justice (high, medium and low) in his field.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the house was in ruins and not restored. In 1621, Jean de Midorge, commander of Beauvais, authorized the hermit Julien Bardenne of the Order of Saint-Antoine to build a small house near the chapel still standing. An agreement stipulated that Bardenne would benefit from the alms of the chapel, in exchange for an annual Mass on Saint-Blaise Day, without being able to claim ownership of the place. When he died, the chapel was to return to the commander. The lands, strengthened for 790 pounds in 1640 and 1,020 pounds in 1757, also imposed a weekly mass on Thursdays. Today, there is only the chapel and the cellar of a missing building.

Rediscovered by vegetation, the site was rehabilitated from the 1970s by the Centre for Medieval and Archaeological Research and Documentation (CRDMA), an association of Saint-Mammès that became owner. Under the impetus of Claude-Clément Perrot and other volunteers, elements were restored or reconstructed: the reclusor, a cross marking the location of the cemetery, tombstones, the vault of the chapel, and a statue of the Virgin in majesty (work by Katy Peureau, vice-president of CRDMA). The chapel, still outdoors, requires constant maintenance and hosts cultural events, such as an exhibition and a conference on the Templars in 2019.

Ranked a historic monument in 1926, the hermitage was also a filming site for Laurent Tirard's film Molière (2007). Despite the restoration needs estimated at 33 000 euros (consolidation of the joints and high parts), applications for funding from the Lotto du Patrimoine and the Fondation pour la sûreté de l'art français have not been completed. A pool was launched in 2021, relaunched in 2023, to preserve this fragile heritage, managed by volunteers and open to the public.

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