New discoveries in the medieval territory of Compiègne

On line since September 16, 2009 · Updated September 16, 2009

In advance of the construction of an underground parking lot and 24 raised houses a team of Inrap archaeologists conducted excavations in the historic centre of the city of Compiègne. This operation, covering around 500 m2, led to the discovery of many archaeological remains, the oldest of which date to the 10th-11th centuries.

The territory of the palatial zone

The archaeologists uncovered waste pits and a large water drainage ditch directed toward the Oise River. These elements indicate that there were few constructions on this land during the 10th and 11th centuries. Nonetheless, they also discovered and excavated part of a house on the edge of the Rue Solférino. These remains allowed them to more clearly define the limits of the palatial zone at this location.

The territory of the Commandery

At the end of the 12th century, under the reign of Philippe Auguste, Abbot of Sainte-Corneille, Richard gave a plot belonging to his abbey to the Order of the Temple. This was a vast quadrilateral with observation towers, a drawbridge and moats surrounding a court in the centre of which stood the Saint Jean-Baptiste chapel. In 1307, Philippe le Bel brutally ended the Order of the Temple and obtained its abolition in 1311, to the benefit of the Hospitallers of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Order of Malta. Until the Revolution, the Order preserved the buildings, which were partially realigned when the Rue Notre-Dame was enlarged following the construction of the Pont Neuf under Louis IV, from 1730 to 1733. They were later sold as a bien national (property confiscated by the State during the Revolution) and the last constructions were demolished in 1822.

The remains of the Commandery

The excavations uncovered remains located in southern part of the Commandery territory: a cellar, four wooden vats whose function remains unknown, two street levels alternating with construction backfill showing the modifications and repairs made to the buildings, and several wells. A stratigraphic profile, around 3 m high, allows us to follow the history of this site from the 12th to 14th centuries.
On the edge of the Commandery itself, the excavation of a section of the Rue Eugyne-Floquet revealed that this street was constructed in the 12th century.

The archaeological remains

Pottery, glassware, stone and clay statuettes, bronze pins, coins and beads, many of which could be rosary beads, were discovered during the excavations. Numerous painted plasters were found in the contents of the cellar. Finally, the abundant faunal remains recovered will contribute to our knowledge of the diet of the population of Medieval Compèigne.