Maison des Templiers

Numerous donations, notably by the Counts of Flanders, enabled the Templars to build many houses across the Flanders region. Thierry d'Alsace, 15th Count of Flanders, created la Maison Notre-Dame in Douai in 1155. It was built on marshy ground, beyond the city’s defences, outside the Wetz gate. The land was made usable by the Templars’ reclamation works. The construction of la Maison Notre-Dame was completed at the end of the 13th century. The main building has the appearance of a square fortress with thick walls. It is flanked by turrets at the four corners. The ‘ogival’ door is topped by a keystone with a Maltese cross. The house was inside an enclosure protected by deep ditches fed by the Scarpe river, and all that remains today is the outer gate and the building at the back of the courtyard, joined by a garden with a stone well.

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