What Is a Commandery?
A commandery (also called a commanderie in French, or a commenda in Italian) was a local house of the Knights Templar, similar to a preceptory. The terms preceptory and commandery are often used interchangeably, but they have slightly different connotations in different regions. The preceptory is the term typically used in the Kingdom of England and in the Latin East, while the commanderie is the term typically used in France and in the Mediterranean countries.
This article explains what a commandery was and how it worked. It is a companion to What Is a Templar Preceptory? and to The Preceptories and Commanderies.
The Structure of a Commandery
A Templar commandery was typically composed of several elements:
- A church or chapel, often round or with a circular nave, in imitation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
- A residential complex for the brothers, including a dormitory, a refectory, a chapter house, and a master’s house.
- Agricultural buildings, including barns, stables, and granaries.
- Workshops for the brothers, including a forge, a carpentry shop, and a textile shop.
- A cemetery for the brothers who died in the commandery.
The commandery was typically surrounded by a wall or a moat, and the entrance was usually through a gatehouse.
For more on the architecture, see The Templar Cross and Mantle and Temple Church in London.
The Commander
The commandery was headed by a Commander (also called a Preceptor or Master), who was a brother of the Order appointed by the Grand Master or by the Provincial Master. The Commander was responsible for the day-to-day management of the commandery, including the administration of the Order’s properties, the recruitment of new brothers, and the discipline of the brothers.
The Commander was assisted by a small staff of brothers and lay servants. The most important of these were the chaplain, the steward, and the knight-bailiff.
Preceptory vs. Commandery
The terms preceptory and commandery are often used interchangeably, but they have slightly different connotations:
- Preceptory: The term typically used in the Kingdom of England and in the Latin East, and typically referring to a single house with its surrounding lands.
- Commandery: The term typically used in France and in the Mediterranean countries, and sometimes referring to a group of properties, possibly scattered across a region, that were administered by a single commander.
In practice, the two terms are often used interchangeably, and the differences between them are largely a matter of regional usage.
The differences between the two terms are examined in detail in The Preceptories and Commanderies.
The Brothers
The brothers of the commandery were of three kinds:
- Knights (Latin fratres milites): The noble members of the Order, who bore arms. The knights wore the white mantle with the red cross.
- Sergeants (Latin fratres servientes): The non-noble members of the Order, who served as soldiers, administrators, and craftsmen. The sergeants wore a brown or black mantle.
- Chaplains (Latin fratres capellani): The priests of the Order, who served the religious needs of the brothers.
The distinction between the three classes. See What Was a Templar Sergeant?.
Examples of Commanderies
The Templars maintained hundreds of commanderies across Latin Christendom. Some of the most important include:
- The Temple in Paris: The principal French house.
- Tours, in central France.
- Toulouse, in southern France.
- Avignon, in Provence.
- Béziers, in Languedoc.
- Comps, in Languedoc.
- Payens, near Troyes, the birthplace of Hugues de Payens.
- The Convent of Christ in Tomar, the principal Portuguese house.
- The Castle of Monzón, in Aragon.
For the full list of commanderies, see The Preceptories and Commanderies.
The Suppression of the Commanderies
The suppression of 1312 had a major impact on the Templars’ network of commanderies. The Order’s estates were transferred, by the bull Ad providam, to the Knights Hospitaller. In practice, however, the transfer was uneven, and much of the Order’s property was simply confiscated by the various secular rulers.
In France, the commanderies were largely confiscated by the crown. In Iberia, the commanderies were absorbed into other orders, including the new Order of Christ in Portugal. In England, the commanderies were also confiscated by the crown, although some did pass to the Hospitallers.
The story of the suppression is told in The Trial and Suppression of the Knights Templar and in What Happened to Templar Treasure?.
Visiting Templar Commanderies
Many of the Templars’ commanderies are still standing, often in ruins but sometimes in remarkable condition. Some of the most important surviving sites include:
- The Convents of the Order of Christ, in Tomar, Portugal. See The Order of Christ in Portugal.
- The Castle of Monzón, in Aragon.
- The Temple in Paris, with the Tour Jean sans Peur as a surviving fragment of the Templar complex.
- The various commanderies in France, including those at Tours, Toulouse, and Avignon.
Conclusion
A Templar commandery was a local house of the Knights Templar, similar to a preceptory, and the terms are often used interchangeably. The commandery was the basic administrative unit of the Order, and it was here that the brothers lived, worked, and prayed. The destruction of the Templars’ network of commanderies by the suppression of 1312 was a major blow to the Order, and it had a lasting impact on the economic life of medieval Europe.