The first act mentioning the commandery, dated 1200, suggests that the Templars had been there for some time. In 1214, a text evokes the domus milicie Templi que vocatur Espailli.
From the very beginning, Épailly was a domain richly endowed by Milon, Count of Bar-sur-Seine, and by the Chappes, in 1208 and 1210, on the finishes of Bissey-la-Côte and Courban. The county of Bar-sur-Seine will be attached to Champagne in the 1220s.
The Templars extended their domain to Louesme, Vanvey and Voulaines-les-Templiers (Côte-d’Or). They created a Temple House, mentioned as early as 1213, at Bissey-la-Côte. Hugues de Pairaud is commander of Épailly in 1280. Great visitor of France, in 1292 he is the competitor of Jacques de Molay in the election as Grand Master. He remained attached to his commandery of Épailly and received new recruits there at the end of the 13th century. The interrogation of Hugues de Pairaud is a highlight of the trial.