Église Saint-André

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The Benedictine abbey of Montolieu, one of the fifty-four monasteries designated at the Council of Aix-la-Chapelle in 814, was preceded by the villa Addarii and the villa Sigarii, sometimes distinct, sometimes confused in the documents and cradle of the present village. The word "Valsiguier" is still inscribed on a funerary stone set into the southern wall of the church. A primitive church is mentioned in 931, of which no trace remains. The oldest references that can be attributed to certain parts of the present building date back to 1249. The church of Saint-André is still mentioned as parochial in a bull of Pope Clement V dated 1309. In 1384, the abbot of Sorèze, subdelegated by the pope, united the parochial church of Saint-André to the office of camerlengo of the abbey. The construction or partial reconstruction of the church dates from the course of the 14th century, the chevet being certainly completed in 1368. Vestiges of an older building exist, such as the southern sacristy which would be a small chapel of the 13th century or even somewhat earlier. A flamboyant doorway was added at the end of the 15th century and a porch, to the north, in the 17th century. In 1897-1898, the widening of the road resulted in the removal of one bay of the nave. The rose that decorated the old destroyed wall was replaced in the new wall. Building with a single nave, with pentagonal chevet and eight lateral chapels between the buttresses. Nave, sanctuary and chapels are not vaulted in stone. The only vaulted parts of the building are the porch south under the bell tower, the neighbouring chapel and an old porch, also to the south. The porch under the bell tower opens, on the outside, under a pointed arch surrounded by an archivolte with larmier between two strong engaged circular pillars, with a wide flat-faced cutwater. Each pillar is accompanied, on the interior side, by a toroidal columnette with a flat face which supports the ogive of the same section. The bell tower, served by a spiral staircase located at the level of the fifth bay, is a tall tower of barlong plan. Two of its storeys are vaulted: the first is the porch described. Above is found a storey covered in barrel vault which still served, towards 1900, as communal prison. On the third buttress of the chevet is found a stone set into the surface, inscribed in Gothic minuscule of the 14th century.