Montbellet Commandery
Sainte-Catherine de Montbellet / Mont Bellet / Mont Bellot
(Montbellet, Saône-et-Loire)
Knowledge of the history of the Templar commandery of Sainte-Catherine de Montbellet is very limited due to the loss of its archive. The Templar house was probably founded in the late 13th or early 14th century. Shortly afterwards, in 1313, it passed into the hands of the Hospitallers following the suppression of the Order of the Temple. At that time, it had the commandery of Rougepont (Saône-et-Loire), located to the north, as a dependency.
Following its transfer to the Order of the Hospital, Montbellet became a dependency administered from the Hospitaller commandery of Chalon. It suffered the effects of the Wars of Religion, which particularly affected this area during the second half of the 16th century. Reconstruction work was already underway in the early 17th century, and repairs continued during the second half of that century. Nevertheless, its buildings remained in very good condition until the French Revolution. Afterwards, it lost its defensive walls and its appearance changed as a result of alterations in use.
The chapel, dedicated to Sainte-Catherine and dating from the foundation period, is preserved in relatively good condition. It has a single nave divided into three bays and retains remnants of mural paintings that can also be dated to around 1300. The western portal has a pointed arch and a cross on the tympanum.
Photo of Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine
Chapel floor plan
Illustration from Les commanderies du Temple Sainte-Catherine
de Montbellet et de Rougepont (1919)
- CHACHUAT, Germaine (1970-1971). La chapelle Sainte-Catherine de Montbellet. Annales de l'Académie de Mâcon. Vol. L. Mâcon: Protat
- CHARMASSE, Anatole de (1878). État des possessions des Templiers et des Hospitaliers en Mâconnais, Charollais, Lyonnais, Forez et partie de la Bourgogne, d'après une enquête de 1333. Mémoires de la Société Éduenne. Autun: Dejussieu
- JEANTON, Georges (1919). Les commanderies du Temple Sainte-Catherine de Montbellet et de Rougepont. Société des amis des arts et des sciences de Tournus. Vol. XIX. Mâcon: Protat
- MIGUET, Michel (2014). Les Templiers et leurs maisons en Bourgogne. Précy-sur-Thil: Éd. de l’Armançon
- THIBOUT, Marc (1950). À propos des peintures murales de la chapelle Sainte-Catherine de Montbellet (Saône-et-Loire). Bulletin Monumental, vol. 108
The commandery is located northwest of Montbellet, south of Tournus