La maison templière de Richerenches (Vaucluse). Premiers résultats de l’étude archéologique et architecturale.

Abstract

The Commandery of Richerenches (Vaucluse), founded in 1136 at the initiative of several local lords and with the support of the bishops of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Vaison, was one of the first establishments of the Templars in Provence. Endowed with a parish status, the chapel, which was mentioned as early as 1138, and the convent buildings attracted a settlement which gave birth to today’s village. The restoration of the only remaining building of the Commandery was preceded by a study which allowed to distinguish two medieval stages in this building which was subsequently altered. Datable to 1138 at the earliest and having a modest aspect, the initial building included a vaulted ground floor confined to agricultural activities and a framed first floor used as living quarters. At the end of the XIIth or during the following century, the vaulting of the first floor entailed the placing of powerful buttresses between which big arches were disposed forming machicolation and supporting a wall and crenellation. The space was divided into two rooms, the smaller of which, in the East, had a chimney and blind arcades. The embellishment of the building reflects an enrichment of the community, but except for the use of good quality stones in medium courses, the building remained modest and severe.