Abbaye de Saint-André-le-Bas (Vienne)
The Abbaye de Saint-André-le-Bas in Vienne , France , is a former monastery .
Geographical location
The abbey is located in the northern part of the old town of Vienne on a slope on the banks of the Rhone . The quarter was initially characterized by a high proportion of the Jewish population. Jews can be found in Vienne since the 10th century. They were expelled in 1452 by the Dauphin Ludwig (later: Ludwig XI.). The city's money market was concentrated in the quarter.
The former monastery is located in the immediate vicinity of the Roman forum in the remains of the Gallo-Roman city. Nearby, the wall of a monumental staircase was exposed, which, probably uncovered, was the site of the community meeting. Other remains in the area are also of interest, notably the portico portico of the Roman Forum, as well as houses, terraces and a temple of Cybele .
history
The Abbey is a testamentary foundation Duke Ansemonds donated . The duke's grave with the donor's inscription is located in the apse of the monastery church. It was a men's monastery.
From the end of the 9th century, the abbey church was also used as the palace chapel of the kings of Burgundy . In the 10th century the convent adopted the Benedictine rule . Numerous foundations made the abbey the second most important in Vienne. In the 13th century the Pope gave abbots the right to wear the miter .
During the Council of Vienne (1311/1312) the monastery and its church were involved in the work of the council. In this context, the custom arose that the Corpus Christi procession in Vienne started from the church of Saint-André-le-Bas .
The competition of new orders in the late Middle Ages and the effects of the Hundred Years War affected the abbey, it could no longer recover from it. It existed until the 18th century, when it had to merge with the Saint-Chef Abbey in 1774 and this association then with Saint-Pierre de Vienne in 1780 . But even before the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, monastic life came to a standstill.
The church was converted into a parish church , the monastery buildings were sold and partially demolished. The south wing of the monastery was parceled out and the building fabric integrated into the adjacent buildings. It was restored during the restoration carried out by Jules Formigé (1879–1960), which was completed in 1938. At that time, the church's west facade, which was in danger of collapsing, was replaced.
Building history of the monastery church
The church was built on a Roman platform, the side facing the Rhone rests on vaults in order to compensate for the difference in height caused by the slope of the area. A visitor center is now housed in the vaults. The church built on the Roman platform is a basilica without a transept . Several construction phases are still visible today:
- The surrounding walls, which can be recognized by alternating brick and stone foundations, the arched windows and the apse , on the sides of which are two ancient columns with Corinthian capitals inside the church, date from the 10th century .
- The second construction phase dates from the end of the 12th century and is dated by an inscription on the base of one of the pilasters of the nave: Willelmus Martini me fecit anno Domini 1152 (Wilhelm, son of Martin, built me in the year of the Lord in 1152). Wilhelm, son of Martin, was probably the builder, not the founder of this extensive renovation. At that time the walls were raised and stabilized with buttresses , and the bell tower was added.
- In the 13th century chapels were added to the building . The choir stalls also come from this period . The top floor of the tower was added.
- In the 14th century, the west facade, threatened by collapse, was restored several times.
Cloister
The Romanesque cloister is the only completely preserved in the Rhône-Alpes region and dates from the middle of the 12th century. His sculptures are similar to those that adorn the bell tower. The cloister was not vaulted. Part of the current panel ceiling dates from the end of the 15th century.
The restoration carried out by Jules Formigé, which was completed in 1938, determines the current appearance of the cloister: the entire ceiling has been restored. The capitals have essentially vegetable motifs, more or less strongly inspired by Corinthian models. But among them is also a representation of Samson tearing up a lion or a bear in a vineyard. Some column shafts are decorated with motifs inspired by ancient architecture: interwoven leaves and pearls.
The cloister was renovated again in 2010.
Further monastery buildings
The abbot's chapel can now be recognized by nothing more than a fragment of cornice and a medallion on the south facade of L'école de la Table-Ronde .
The Maison du Chamarier , located south of the abbey church, formerly the directorate of the monastery, contains remains of the abbey palace and is now part of the L'école de la Table-Ronde . This also includes an 18th century staircase.
The former church of Saint-Pierre-entre-les-Juifs (Saint-Pierre in the Jewish quarter) was dependent on the abbey. Two windows of this church are installed in a building on rue de la Table-Ronde .
Monument protection
The church of the Abbaye de Saint-André-le-Bas has been a listed building since 1840 , the monastery complex since 1954. The cloister is now accessible via a small museum.
literature
- Author collective: Vienne d'une rive à l'autre = Des objets qui racontent l'histoire . EMCC, Lyon 2008.
- Ville de Vienne: Histoires de Saint-André-le-Bas . Digital & decorative, Vienne 2012. Without ISBN. [With a comprehensive bibliography.]
Web links
- Abbaye de Saint-André-le-Bas on the Base Mérimée .
Remarks
- ↑ The location, set back from the river today, is caused by the modern embankment.
- ↑ A later copy of the will is preserved in the archives of the Isère department .
- ↑ The largest abbey in Vienne was Saint-Pierre de Vienne .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 8.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 3.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 5.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 11.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 12.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 14.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 4.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 6.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 9.
- ↑ Ville de Vienne: Histoires , p. 15.
- ↑ Entry in the Base Mérimée (see: Weblinks).
Coordinates: 45 ° 31 '37.9 " N , 4 ° 52' 26.5" E