The history
800 years of history...
.jpeg)
Did the Templars really build the Manoir de l'Aumônerie?
This is the question we are currently trying to answer by searching through all possible documents and archives.
The property belonged to the abbey of Saint Georges de Boscherville and was called "l'Aumônerie" between the 15th and 18th centuries. But at the beginning of the 20th century, postcards indicate the name of "Templars' house". Why did this name suddenly appear and since when?
The cartulary of the Abbey of Saint Georges de Boscherville tells us that in the middle of the 12th century the land on which the house is built was given by Henry II Plantagenet to his chamberlain Roscelin Clarembaud. As soon as he was invested with this domain, Roscelin gave it to the monks of the Abbey of Saint Georges in exchange for 10 silver marcs and 10 livres parisis. This sale was confirmed by the bishop of Rouen, Hugues d'Amiens, who died in 1164.
What happened next? Why would the Templars have built a Manor and a well in the 13th century on land that already belonged to the monks of Saint Georges in the 12th century? Who built this stone building in the clearing of Genetey? Are the Benedictines the only owners since the 12th century? Or did they give up or lose the domain in the 13th century and recover it again in the 15th century? Is there a confirmed link with the nearby Templar commandery of Sainte Vaubourg in the Val de la Haye?
Research in progress... to be continued... !
The story written below is for the moment the version according to which the Templars built the Manor around 1214.
Founded in 1118 in Jerusalem, the Order of the Temple has a protective purpose. Originating from medieval Christian chivalry, it protected pilgrims making the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as well as the tomb of Christ (the Holy Sepulchre) from attacks by Muslim warriors. The Templars were both soldiers and monks.
The Order of the Temple had a considerable fortune that allowed it to finance its military and religious activities in the Middle East. This capital came from multiple donations, and the Templars served as bankers to all of Europe by lending money to the sovereigns involved in the Crusades.
Having become very rich, they built estates to protect the roads and to welcome travelers, Crusaders and pilgrims.
In 1173, the Knights Templar set up a commandery on an estate donated by Henry II, King of England and Duke of Normandy: the estate of Saint-Vaubourg, in the Val de la Haye.
At the end of the 12th century, the Templars cleared land towards the Roumare forest in order to increase their commandery, and created clearings such as the Genetey in which they built a farm around 1214 to administer this new agricultural territory.
The dissolution of the Order at the Council of Vienna and the death of Grand Master Jacques de Molay, burned at the stake in 1314, led to the disappearance of the Order of the Temple. All of the Templars' property was then devolved.
In the 15th century, the Farm and the clearing depended on the Saint-Georges Abbey, in Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville. This Benedictine abbey was founded in 1112 with the help of the very powerful de Tancarville family.
The Benedictine monks then made it the Abbey's Chaplaincy. They installed farmers there while receiving guests of the monks in the manor.
In the 16th century, the Press, the Longère, the Kennel and the Bread Oven as well as a chapel dedicated to Saint-Gorgon, a Roman martyr, were built.
During the French Revolution, the property was confiscated from the monks and bought by private individuals. In the 19th century, the buildings of the Creamery and the Barn were built. The estate changed hands several times during the 20th century (Mollet, Thoumyre, Savalle families). In the 1960's, the lands of the property were sold progressively as building lots.
The farming stopped.
The property was bought in 1970 from the descendants of the last farmers by Michel and Josette Ratier, who had the property listed as a Historic Monument.
In 2018, Erwan and Sophie-Isabelle de Saint-Seine took over the restoration of the Manoir de l'Aumônerie.
