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Origin and history

The commanderie Saint-Jean-du-Viel-Aître, founded in 1140 by Duke Mathieu I of Lorraine, is Nancy's oldest visible building. This Romanesque monument, located west of the city near Laxou, was originally a church surrounded by buildings, including a chapel. The Duke Mathieu I installed the Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, granting them land, a mill, an oven and the right of punaz in 1147, then in 1176 with his wife Judith-Berthe of Hohenstaufen. This duty, a levy on grain sales, was confirmed by their descendants until 1732.

The Commanderie played a military and strategic role, serving as headquarters at Charles le Témeraire, Duke of Burgundy, during the siege of Nancy (1476–77) before his defeat against René II of Lorraine. The site, initially in a deep countryside near the Saint John pond, was also a place of popular fairs in the 18th century, such as the Saint John Fair or the Cherries Fair, immortalized by an engraving by Yves-Dominique Collin. The tower, the only vestige preserved after the destruction of other buildings in the 19th century, was classified as a historic monument in 1927.

The name Vieil-Aître evokes an ancient Merovingian cemetery present on the site. The command office sustained damage during the Thirty Years' War (1633) and was sold as a national property in 1795. In the 19th century, the urbanization of Nancy included its buildings, destroyed except the bell tower. Property of the city since 1950, the tower recalls the medieval heritage and influence of religious orders in Lorraine.

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