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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Commanderie de Malleyrand, also known as the Commanderie Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Malleyrand, is a Templar building located in Yvrac-et-Malleyrand, Charente, New Aquitaine. Founded at the end of the 12th century, it depended on the diocese of Angoulême and followed a rectangular three-span plan, supported by columns decorated with acanthe-leaf capitals. Its facade, marked by three archvolted portals, reflects the religious architecture of the time. After the dissolution of the Order of the Temple, it became a hospital commander.

The building has undergone notable changes, such as the replacement of its original vault with a walled ceiling in the 20th century (around 1980). Its arch bell tower, with one bay, dominates the gable, while the flat bedside is illuminated by a triplet. Ranked a historic monument in 1870 and again in 1994, it now belongs to the commune. Sources mention local studies, such as L. Bertrand (1921), but little detail on his commandors or his precise use after the Middle Ages.

The command office illustrates the role of the military-religious orders in southwestern France, where they combined spiritual, economic and defensive functions. Its architecture, mixing sobriety and working details (chapiteaux, barrels of columns), testifies to the templaire influence then hospitalier in the region. The bibliographical references, such as the works of Anne-Marie Legras (1983) or Jacques Dubourg (2001), underline its heritage importance in Charente.

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