The history of the Mas

An origin intimately linked to the Knights Templar

The Mas de l'Hospitalet, located in Bagard on the road between Alès and Anduze, is a large imposing building with its thick walls, its wooden frame and its tower which culminates at more than 15m high. It is one of the emblematic places of the region.

The Templars and the Mas

The first dates of Mas de l'Hospitalet date back to the time of the Templars of Alès, a religious and military order made up of men known for their legendary bravery and heroism.

The history of the Templars begins in the 12th century, when the knight Hugues de Payns and some other European nobles decide to create an order of chivalry to protect Christian pilgrims going to the Holy Land. The order is first known under the name of "Poor Knights of Christ", but it will quickly take the name of Order of the Templars, in reference to the Temple of Jerusalem where they settle.

The Templars were knight monks with a reputation for courage and immense devotion.They played a crucial role in the Crusades, providing strong troops, resources and logistics.

They had established commanderies throughout Europe, but also Templar houses ensuring several functions including those attributed to the Mas de l'Hospitalet such as:

• Collect harvests and harvests from the domains belonging to the Templars and transport them to Saint-Gilles, port of embarkation for Palestine.
• Ensure safety of the path linking Alès to Anduze.
• Being a stopover for pilgrims going to Jerusalem or Santiago de Compostela. It is possible that this mission could have been extended to allow the reception of people in difficulty or sick, although there is no document to prove it. Nevertheless, this hypothesis could perhaps justify the use of the term 'Espitalet' which has become 'Hospitalet'.

Very well organized and excellent managers, the Templars had prosperous activities…

The fall of the Templars

But the order of the Templars, becoming very rich and very powerful, began to arouse the jealousy and hostility of certain kings and of the Catholic Church. In 1307, the King of France Philippe IV, known as Philippe le Bel, hungry for power, could no longer accept such power. It was then that he set out to destroy the organization by condemning, arresting and torturing its core members for heresy and fanciful crimes.

A show trial based on confessions obtained under torture forced Pope Clement V to order the order disbanded. Philipe Le Bel seized all the property of the Templars.

At the trial of Alès in 1307, 7 knights of the Temple taken at Espitalet appeared and were locked up in the royal castle of Alès at the same time as those captured at Aigues-Mortes, Nîmes and Saint-Gilles.

The trial lasted until 1312, when the pope lost interest in the subject and ordered to absolve the Templars who had confessed and repented of the crimes of which they were accused.

The property of the Templerie de l'Espitalet passed to the order of the Hospitallers of St-Jean-de-Jérusalem, which then became the Order of St-Jean-de-Malte.

Then we lose track of the Mas. What happened in the following centuries? No one knows….

The Treasure of Mas de l'Hospitalet

What is certain... is that the famous Treasure of the Templars is not at the Mas de l'Hospitalet...

On the other hand, it is a whole other richness that we will offer you during your stay in our guest house.

To find out more, contact us .