At the Restaurant Les Arcades, the City of Biot presented the Festival “Biot and the Templars,” which will take place on April 5, 6, and 7. A tribute to the 13th-century Knights and a way to immerse oneself in the Middle Ages.
The City of Biot will don its chainmail, helmets, and other armors to plunge back into the Middle Ages. This village, perched on the hills overlooking Antibes, preserves this medieval trace. As you stroll through the city center, the dungeons and towers remind you of this medieval past. To maintain one of its main attractions, Biot organizes, and has been doing so for 5 years, its Festival “Biot and the Templars.” A return to the 13th century to share the life of these guardians of Christianity. Regarded as the first great builders of the city, they brought all this architectural and cultural wealth to the azure city.
But before getting to the festivities, a bit of history. The Templars settled on the lands of Biot starting in 1209 after a donation deed from Alphonse II of Provence. The Temple possessions were initially managed by the commandery of Grasse, and only in 1233 did they invest in their new “house,” located in the old castle (1). Guardians of the Christian religion, they also worked for the safety and protection of pilgrims to Jerusalem in the context of the Holy War.
It became self-sufficient by exploiting its own lands. Around 1260, the company expanded towards Villeneuve-Loubet up to Les Clausonnes, to the west of the town. But from the 14th century onwards, the Templars became increasingly unpopular, having become too wealthy in the eyes of the religious authorities. The order for their arrest was issued by Philip the Fair in 1307. Located in Provence and therefore outside the Kingdom, the Templars of Biot could not initially be affected by this arrest but were a few months later, then imprisoned in Perthuis, by decree of Charles II the Lame, Count of Provence. Pope Clement V demanded the redistribution of the accumulated wealth to the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, who became the Knights of Malta in 1530.
The event was initiated by Jean-Pierre, the Mayor of the City, his Municipal Councillor, delegated to events, Catherine Pelissier-Tabusso, and Marc Dagand, seneschal of the Templar troupe “Les Blancs Manteaux,” a company that will tell you “the story of these men who dedicated their souls, lives, and possessions to these orders that made so much noise in their time and still do today.” You’ll be able to discover numerous activities including animations, festivities, medieval meals, and, among others, jousting, the famous trials of chivalric tournaments. It involves a lance charge between two riders at a gallop, face-to-face. The objective is simple, to knock the opponent off his mount. A real journey back in time for the delight of both the young and old.
