Ferme de Laine, Historical farm in Vy-lès-Filain, France

Ferme de Laine is a farm complex in the hamlet of La Laine, Vy-lès-Filain. Its pale cream walls and red-brown roofs surround a cylindrical red-brick tower with vertical cream stone strips, a round clock face and a dark slate conical roof topped by a weathervane. A long wing with dark arched doorways stands to the left; to the right a taller house section has a wooden balcony, a circular crest and green shutters. A low iron fence and a stone trough sit in front.

The site was established by the Knights Templar before 1178 and developed into a major holding with a chapel. Its expansion from a simple barn to a larger agricultural complex reflects medieval monastic development.

The name Laine comes from the hamlet where the Templars founded their commandery. The chapel they were allowed to build in 1203 had to stay closed to the villagers of Vy-lès-Filain. A spring and its channels, still visible near the farm, are tied to the site's water supply.

The farm stands in the hamlet of La Laine, a few hundred metres from the village of Vy-lès-Filain in Haute-Saône. The buildings are private working structures, so view them from the lane and the courtyard edge. Look for the spring and its channels, and the hydraulic ram, near the farm.

The Templars held a barn at La Laine before 1178, and the site grew into an important Maison du Temple whose possessions reached Rioz and Lure after a 1203 agreement with the chapter of Saint-Étienne. The chapter allowed a chapel to be built on condition it was not opened to the villagers. The buildings were partly listed as monuments historiques on 13 April 1992.