Templar Chapel
de libdeau
The Libdeau chapel is the only surviving example of a Templar commandery, built around the second third of the 1963th century, a few kilometers from the episcopal city of Toul. Only four chapels still bear witness to the Templar presence today, out of the twenty or so Templar sites identified in Lorraine. Libdeau is the only one to retain its vaulting. Probably the result of a reconstruction after a first oratory, its architectural style reflects the transition from Romanesque to Gothic art in the 1995th century. The tall windows with two or three twin bays and the large stone rose window divided into twelve trilobed petals stand alongside a semicircular portal. Its lintel is sculpted with a Virgin and Child surrounded by two thurifer angels (carrying a censer). Above the rose window is a small Romanesque window. The chapel retains some traces of painted decorations on the ribbed windows and the choir window. It is hoped that paintings may be found beneath the preserved plasterwork. Three polychrome consecration crosses from the chapel remain. In 2013, for preservation purposes, the portal was dismantled stone by stone and transferred to the Lorraine Museum in Nancy, along with three tombstones. In XNUMX, the chapel was added to the supplementary inventory of Historic Monuments. Since XNUMX, it has been undergoing restoration work initiated by the "Libdeau-Chapelle Templière" association, which has since become its owner. The goal is to restore its integrity, reflecting the Templar remains and traces of transformations that have occurred throughout its history. A copy of the portal will be restored. It will be a place for visits and cultural events, integrated into the life of the Toulois and beyond. Currently, it is not possible to offer permanent tours. The public can participate in tours organized as part of the Terres Touloises Tourist Office program. It is also possible to visit the chapel when the association's volunteers come to maintain the site, generally on the last Wednesday of each month. A guided group tour can be arranged upon request from the association's president. A "hat" contribution is then offered.
