Commanderie de Payns

Commanderie de Payns is a medieval Templar commandry located near the village of Payns in northeastern France. The archaeological remains of this religious military complex lie scattered beneath farmland, where excavations have uncovered the stone foundations of several buildings that once stood here.

The commandry was established in 1127 by Hugues de Payns, the founding Grand Master of the Knights Templar, with further lands granted through donations shortly afterward. This property became a significant Templar holding in the Champagne region throughout the medieval period.

The commandry operated as a major wool production center, managing 441 arpents of grazing land for sheep and 132 arpents of agricultural fields.

The site lies on private farmland and can only be visited with prior arrangement. Visitors should contact local authorities or the regional archaeological office to arrange access to the area.

During archaeological excavations in 1998, workers uncovered a cache of more than 700 coins from the 12th and 13th centuries buried at the site. This discovery offers rare insight into the financial activities that took place within these medieval walls.