Commandery des Hospitalers in Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon, Commandery in Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon, Aveyron, France

The commandery of the Hospitallers in Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon is a quadrilateral fortified complex at the foot of the Larzac plateau, 20 km south-east of Millau. Its outer walls enclose a courtyard, the church, the community building and farm structures: stables, a farmyard, the Quarantes grain tower and a sheepfold. The castle, mentioned in 1249, held the monks' dormitory and the great chapter hall.

The complex was first established in the 12th century by the Knights Templar, who used it as a base in the Rouergue region. After the Templar order was dissolved in the early 14th century, the Hospitallers took over and continued to develop the site.

The name comes from the Knights Templar and later the Hospitallers, whose commander led the house. In 1641 commander Jean de Bernuy Villeneuve pierced a new entrance in the church apse, reversing its orientation so it opens directly onto the village square instead of the inner courtyard. The great hall, once the chapter meeting room, now hosts events and exhibitions.

The site is best visited on foot, and sturdy shoes are a good idea since the ground is often uneven and cobbled in places. Going in the morning gives you a better chance to move through the complex at your own pace.

The great hall of the commandery was split in two by height and partitioned along its length under commander Jean de Bernuy Villeneuve in the 17th century; it now hosts events and exhibitions, and an 18th-century painting hangs on its walls.