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Origin and history

The Tower of Trébaix is a former Templar Commanderie located in the hamlet of Trébaix, in the commune of Villesèque, in the Lot department. It is part of a set of temple houses founded in the region from the 12th century, notably after the donation of the church of Sainte-Marie de Carnac by the bishop of Cahors Géraud Hector around 1179. The Templars, faced with local conflicts, gradually settled in the area, before being replaced by the Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem after the dissolution of the Order of the Temple in 1312.

The Trebaix site is mentioned for the first time at the end of the 13th century, under the direction of Commander Athon de Salvagnac, who also supervises the house of Carnac. The current tower, probably built at that time, was thoroughly redesigned in the 14th century. It includes a vaulted chapel, decorated with a key representing Saint John the Baptist and a coat of arms with the Templar Cross, characteristic elements of his religious and military heritage.

After the transfer to the Hospitallers in 1313, Trebaix became a member of the commission of La Capelle-Livron. During the Hundred Years' War, the site was strengthened to withstand English threats, although the sources did not confirm direct attack. In 1453, the territory, depopulated and in waste, was revived by contracts of accense under the impulse of the preceptor Pons Coalhac. The description of 1613 reveals a square set surrounded by ditches, centered on a massive tower and a seigneurial house.

The French Revolution led to the sale of the property of the Commanderie as national goods. Today, the Trebaix Tower, a private property, has been listed as a historic monument since 2004. There remains only a rectangular tower, vestige of a body of houses that disappeared in the 19th century, as well as defensive elements (drills, latrines) and a chapel surmounted by an upper chamber remodelled in the 16th century.

The archives underline the seigneurial role of the Templars and the Hospitallers on Trebaix, with jurisdictional rights extended over a territory corresponding approximately to the present municipality of Villesèque. Their presence has long marked the local organisation, between farming, military protection and religious management, as evidenced by the tithes shared with the rector of Saint-Pantaléon in 1295.

The Trebaix Tower thus illustrates the transitions between military religious orders, the architectural adaptations related to conflicts (the Hundred Years War) and the strategies of post-medieval repopulation. Its recent inscription among historical monuments makes it a privileged witness to this unknown Occitan heritage.

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