Conchil-le-Temple

Conchil-le-Temple
Conchil-le-Temple
Commune
	The church of Conchil-le-Temple
	Coat of arms
	Location of Conchil-le-Temple
	Conchil-le-Temple Conchil-le-Temple
	Coordinates: 50°22′06″N 1°39′55″E / 50.3683°N 1.6653°E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Montreuil
Canton	Berck
Intercommunality	CA Deux Baies en Montreuillois
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Daniel Dubois
Area 1	16.72 km2 (6.46 sq mi)
Population (2022)	1,087
• Density	65/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62233 /62180
Elevation	3–57 m (9.8–187.0 ft) ; (avg. 5 m or 16 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Conchil-le-Temple (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃ʃil lə tɑ̃pl]; Picard: Conchil-l'Tempe) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France.^[3]

Geography

A large village situated some 8 miles (17 km) southwest of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D940E1 and D143 road junction. A rural, wooded area featuring many lakes and nature trails to walk and ride.

History

In 845 it was known as Concilium, in 1406 as Conchy-les-Waben and by 1608 as Conchie.

Conchil was listed among the possessions of the abbey of Saint Riquier in the 9th century. A house known as ’’’Temple-lez-Waben’’’ was a commandery of the Templars. In 1307, two Templars from here (Raoul Monteswis and Eudes of Écuires) were captured and burnt at the stake at nearby Montreuil.

The Templar House of Temple-lès-Waben

A site historically referred to as Temple-lès-Waben was located in the area known as la Commanderie, a hamlet within the modern commune of Conchil-le-Temple. This Templar establishment was strategically positioned between two roads—one leading to Waben and the other to Montreuil.

Evidence suggests that the Templar house at Waben was already in existence by the early 13th century. A charter dated March 1225–1226 records an agreement between the abbot of Saint-Josse-sur-Mer and the Count of Ponthieu, in which the abbot refers to "our mills at Tigny" and notes that the count would provide men from the community of Waben, explicitly excluding those "banished of the Temple." This mention implies the presence of a Templar community at Waben during that time.

Further documentation names Jean de Juvigny as the last known preceptor of the Templar house. He was interrogated in June 1308 and again in April 1310 in Paris, during the suppression of the Knights Templar. Despite his prolonged captivity, he was still identified as wearing the habit of a Templar sergeant brother.^[4]