Commanderie de Compesières
Origin of the name Commanderie de Compesières
The commandery bears the name of the hamlet of Compesières, attested in the 12th century in the form « Compeseres », where the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem set up the seat of their Genevois commandery. The etymology of Compesières has not yet been explained.[2]
Founding of Commanderie de Compesières
In 1270 the bishop of Genève, Aymon de Cruseilles, gave the church of Saint-Sylvestre of Compesières to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, who probably set up a first hospice there that same year. In the late 14th or early 15th century a fortified house replaced the hospice and became the seat of the Genevois commandery, part of the order's langue of Auvergne. The commandery stands in the hamlet of Compesières, in the present municipality of Bardonnex.[1][2]
History of Commanderie de Compesières
1270. Bishop Aymon de Cruseilles gives the church of Saint-Sylvestre to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, who probably set up a first hospice there.[1][7]
1312. The commandery receives several former Templar holdings in the Genevois and the Pays de Vaud.[1]
Late 14th-early 15th century. A fortified house replaces the hospice and becomes the seat of the Genevois commandery, in the langue of Auvergne.[1]
15th century. The church and its choir are enlarged, probably between 1443 and 1481.[1][7]
1536-1567. The castle houses the Bernese bailiff of Ternier.[1]
Late 16th century. During the wars between Savoy and Genève, the building escapes destruction only through the intervention of the King of France.[1]
1617. Commander Jacques de Cordon enlarges and embellishes the fortified house and the church and surrounds them with an enclosure with round towers. His nephew Jacques II succeeds him and continues the work.[1]
18th century. Commander Claude-François de Lescheraine has the castle and the church renovated, with liturgical objects and a baroque altar.[1]
1792. The occupation of Savoy by French troops ends some five centuries of the knights' presence. The towers are cut down, the order's arms and symbols destroyed, the church bell tower demolished.[1]
1822. Having become national property, then a saltpetre factory, sold to private owners and bought back by the municipality of Compesières, the commandery houses from this year the town hall, the school and the presbytery (of Bardonnex from 1851).[1]
1834-1835. The church is almost entirely rebuilt.[1][7]
1899-1900. The enclosure and part of the outbuildings are removed to make way for a new school.[1]
1954-1955. Restoration of the castle, renewed in 1971. It partly recalls its medieval appearance.[1]
1973. Opening of the Museum of the Order of Malta in the commandery.[3]
Historic sites in Commanderie de Compesières
Castle (fortified house). Former seat of the Genevois commandery, enlarged in the 17th century by Jacques de Cordon and restored in 1954-1955 and 1971. It houses a small museum of the Order of Malta.[1]
Church of Saint-Sylvestre. Given to the Hospitallers in 1270, enlarged in the 15th century, altered in the 17th century and almost entirely rebuilt in 1834-1835.[1][7]
Musée de l'ordre de Malte. Documents, objects, coins and uniforms trace the history of the order; group visits by appointment.[3]
Painted decoration of the castle. Several rooms keep painted decoration commissioned around 1617 by Commander Jacques de Cordon d'Evieu: scrolls and animals on the ceilings, hunting scenes dated 1629, landscapes of 1630 and trompe-l'œil architecture, partly uncovered and restored in 1971.
Remains in Commanderie de Compesières
Earlier churches beneath Saint-Sylvestre. The excavations of 2005-2006 revealed, beneath the church, farm buildings from the 2nd century, a 5th-6th century building completed with an apsidal choir, then a new church of the 9th-10th century, probably the one given to the Hospitallers in 1270.[7]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Compesières (commanderie) » (Isabelle Brunier), version du 21.01.2004
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Compesières (localité) » (Isabelle Brunier), version du 08.10.2003
- Musées suisses (museums.ch), « Musée de l'Ordre de Malte »
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (Commanderie, Bardonnex)
- Inventaire fédéral des biens culturels (PBC), fiche 2382 « Commanderie de l'Ordre de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem », texte de la Société d'histoire de l'art en Suisse (Guide artistique de la Suisse)
- Inventaire PBC, liste cantonale Genève (état au 1.1.2026)
- Isabelle Plan et Marion Berti, « Compesières, parcelle agricole au nord de l'église Saint-Sylvestre : rapport des campagnes de fouilles 2015 et 2016 », Service cantonal d'archéologie de Genève, mai 2017
Other villages near Commanderie de Compesières
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