The Templar, and later Hospitaller, commandery of Le Dognon is known for its chapel, where important remains of wall paintings are still preserved. The names of the last Templar commanders of this house are known, the last being Elie Raynaud, who faced the trial against the Templars and the suppression of the order.
After the dissolution of the Templars, the commandery passed into the hands of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. In the 16th century, Le Dognon became attached to the commandery of Villegats (Charente), but by the following century it was a dependency of Beauvais (Charente-Maritime). In the 18th century, the site was in clear decline. It was sold after the Revolution (1792), and the chapel is now used as a Protestant place of worship.
Only the chapel remains of the former commandery; the other buildings have been lost. It is a very simple construction, with a rectangular floor plan and a western portal. It stands on a strategic elevation that facilitated its defence. The building can be dated to between 1150 and 1160, and the wall paintings to between 1170 and 1180. These paintings, now heavily restored, depict the victory of the crusaders in the Battle of Bekaa (Lebanon) in 1163, in which Hugh VIII of Lusignan took part.
Mural paintings
Photo by JLPC, on Wikimedia
Mural paintings
Photo by Acer11, on Wikimedia
Mural paintings
Photo by Acer11, on Wikimedia
- CROCHET, Bernard (2012). Commanderies et villages templiers en France. Rennes: Ouest-France
- DARAS, Charles (1967). Les fresques de Cressac. Vieilles Maisons Françaises
- DAVY, Christian (1999). Les peintures murales de la chapelle des templiers de Cressac. Congrès archéologique de France, 153 ss. Société française d'archéologie
- LEGRAS, Anne-Marie (1983). Les commanderies des Templiers et des Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem en Saintonge et en Aunis. Paris: CNRS
- TRUDON DES ORMES, Amédée (1897). Liste des maisons et de quelques dignataires de l’Ordre du Temple. Revue de l'Orient Latin. París: Leroux
The commandery of Le Dognon is located in the commune of Cressac-Saint-Genis, south of Angoulême