Donation of Philippe d'Alsace 1182 (≈ 1182)
Land given to the Hospitallers to build a church.
1335
Annexation by Fieffe
Annexation by Fieffe 1335 (≈ 1335)
Turned into a farm after attachment.
4 août 2009
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 4 août 2009 (≈ 2009)
Front, roof and floor protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The facades and roofs of all the buildings and their sitting floor, as well as the floor of the farm yard around which they are organized (cad. AC 11, lieudit Bois-Saint-Jean): inscription by order of 4 August 2009
Key figures
Philippe d'Alsace - Count of Flanders and Vermandois
Land donor in 1182.
Origin and history
La Ferme du Bois-Saint-Jean came into being at the end of the 12th century, when Philippe d'Alsace, Count of Flanders and Vermandois, offered land to the brothers of the order of the Hospital Saint John of Jerusalem. A letter dated 1182 attests to this donation, requiring the construction of a church on the site. This field, originally conceived as a command office, becomes a place of religious and agricultural life under the management of the Hospitallers.
In 1335, the command office was attached to Fieffe's and converted into an agricultural holding, marking the beginning of its agricultural vocation, which continued to this day. The site, owned by the Order of Malta until the French Revolution, was then sold as a national property. The current buildings, organized around a central courtyard, include a house, a brick stable, a sheepfold, and two barns, one of which probably occupies the location of the former missing chapel. An octagonal dovecote dominates the whole, while an ancient drinking pot, transformed into a piece of water, recalls past uses.
The farm architecture illustrates traditional techniques with local materials: flint kidneys, sandstones, torchis, and Flemish tiles. These elements, combined with the disposition of buildings (verger, vegetable garden, and gated courtyard), reflect a typical rural organization of the Hauts-de-France, preserved despite centuries. The ensemble, classified as Historical Monument in 2009 for its facades, roofs and sitting floor, offers a rare testimony of the evolution of a medieval commandory in agricultural operations.
The official protection covers all buildings and their courtyards, highlighting the heritage value of the site. Although some original elements, such as the stairway to the house or the chapel, have disappeared, the farm retains remarkable architectural and historical coherence. Its history, linked to religious orders and then to the Revolution, makes it an emblematic place of the rural and hospital heritage of the region.
