Chapelle des Templiers de Lacapelle-Livron, Templar chapel in Lacapelle-Livron, France.
The Chapelle des Templiers de Lacapelle-Livron is built of rough grey and tan stone blocks. A tall square tower on the left carries a round clock face high on its side, an arched opening above and a rectangular window below, with a row of projecting corbels under its pyramidal slate roof. A lower slate roof steps down to the right toward a smaller stone structure with a curved clay-tiled roof.
Established in the 13th century following donations from Grimals, lord of Livron in 1225, and Raymond VII of Toulouse in 1227, this commandery served as a strategic administrative center for the Knights Templar.
The chapel and its fortified bell tower are the last standing remains of a commandery whose name comes from the village, Lacapelle-Livron. The site was a Templar baillie headquarters from 1260, replacing Cahors; a 1268 chapter counted the commander, three knights, three priests, a chaplain and eight other brothers. After the Templars, the Hospitallers kept it until the 18th century.
The chapel and its fortified bell tower stand in the heart of Lacapelle-Livron, about twenty kilometres south-west of Villefranche-de-Rouergue and near Caylus. The chapel was classified as a monument historique in 1901 and the dovecote was inscribed in 1971; both are the only remains of the commandery in the commune.
The chapel and its fortified bell tower were classified as a monument historique in 1901; the dovecote was listed in 1971. These are the only remains of the commandery still standing in the commune. The tower's clock face and corbels are visible from the village square.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,895 contributors worldwide.