Saint-André-le-Bas Church

This huge church, well, more accurately it’s an abbey , was originally built throughout the 6th or 7th century. Despite not knowing the exact date of its construction or not, we know for sure that there was another abbey, Saint-Andre-le-Haut, which already existed before this one came into existence. Women were in charge of the Saint-Andre-le-Haut abbey, they were known as the “moniales”, or nuns in English. Saint-Andre-le-Bas, on the other hand, was directed by men. As a matter of fact, there was such a thing as men and women’ abbeys. The one you have in front of your eyes was entirely renovated during the 10th century, and then rebuilt again to be expanded and to embellished during the 12th century. It even became one of the most significant churches in town, with both its roman and gothic styles. The roman cloister was built around that time, and chapels were added over the centuries. But the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of Religion weakened the convent, and the number of monks dwindled. By the 1770s, the abbey merged with the monasteries of Saint-Chef and Saint-Pierre, ending monastic life in this building. It is then that the abbey became a parish. To this day, the Saint-Andre-le-Bas church remains a symbol of Vienne’s religious influence during the Middle Age. It opens its doors for you to  discover its cloister, the only one that still exhibits a Romanesque style in the whole region! For a small fee, you can get a glimpse of this beautiful structure, and of its temporary exhibitions.