<\/i>From St. Casarie\u2019s hermitage to the first Benedictine Abbey<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.abbayesaintandre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ermitage-thumb.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\nIn the second half of the 6th century, Casarie, like many other hermits of her time, retreated into a cave to pray and meditate. Her hermitage was on Mount Andaon, where she died in 586. The veneration that surrounded her tomb led to the creation of an important cemetery on the hill and of a religious settlement on the site, although its situation remained precarious for many years. By the 10th century, the community was following the rule of St. Benedict, and it appears to have been formally constituted, approved in 982 by Garnier, Bishop of Avignon, and in 999 by Pope Gregory Vth.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/i>A royal Abbey opposite the papacy of Avignon<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\n\nThe power of the monastery increased rapidly. While a chapel now stands on top of the holy cave, churches were erected on both sides of the former cemetery: St-Martin in 1024 and St-Andr\u00e9 consecrated in 1118 in the presence of Pope Gelasius II. At that time, Pope Gelasius\u2019 bull enumerated the 80 priories on the two banks of the Rh\u00f4ne that already depended on the Abbey. In the 13th century, after the siege of Avignon by King Louis VIII of France and its eventual capitulation, a new chapter opened in the history of the Abbey with the act of union in 1226 between Abbot Bertrand de Clausonne and King Louis VIII, confirmed by Philippe Le Bel in 1292. The act of union recognized the seigneurial rights (rights to rule) of the abbots of Saint-Andr\u00e9, and liberated them from the control of Avignon. The agreement allowed the construction of Fort St-Andr\u00e9, which was an important outpost for the Kingdom of France and the Capetian dynasty, since the fort faced Avignon where the papacy was established in 1309. The fort was completed around 1372 and remains among the most remarkable 14th century fortifications in France.
\nThe 13th and 14th centuries were the peak of prosperity for the royal Abbey. The number of monks rose to more than 90, and an inventory done in 1307 reveals the magnitude of its treasures and its vast library. The Abbey held a vast domain to which were added the revenues of 211 priories in the Languedoc region and Provence. The dark years of the 15th and particularly the 16th century marked a period of decadence and decline.<\/p>\n<\/div>
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.abbayesaintandre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/abbaye-royale-thumb.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/i>The St. Maur congregation\u2019s Abbatial Palace<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.abbayesaintandre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/saint-maur-thumb300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\nIn 1637, with the installation of the Congregation of St. Maur and a resulting spiritual revival, an ambitious program of reconstruction of the monastery began with designs and oversight by Pierre Mignard, King Louis XIV\u2019s architect. The Church of St-Martin, whose vault had collapsed in 1603, was rebuilt and redecorated with red marble columns and a monumental altarpiece, and the chapel of the Virgin was added between the two churches. High walls surrounded the domain, which was dominated by the chapel of St. Casarie atop Mount Andaon.
\nThe Abbatial Palace was of typical classical design with a large two-story building standing on a terrace supported by powerful Piranesi-style vaulted arches, the ensemble completed on each side by matching three-story pavilions with pediments. In the 18th century, the architect Jean-Ange Brun redesigned and rebuilt the entry courtyard and added beautifully vaulted rooms to its pavilion. These additions and improvements vividly affirmed the power of the Church, a sharp contrast with the reality that only 11 monks were living there in 1790.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/div>\nIn the second half of the 6th century, Casarie, like many other hermits of her time, retreated into a cave to pray and meditate. Her hermitage was on Mount Andaon, where she died in 586. The veneration that surrounded her tomb led to the creation of an important cemetery on the hill and of a religious settlement on the site, although its situation remained precarious for many years. By the 10th century, the community was following the rule of St. Benedict, and it appears to have been formally constituted, approved in 982 by Garnier, Bishop of Avignon, and in 999 by Pope Gregory Vth.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/i>A royal Abbey opposite the papacy of Avignon<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\n\nThe power of the monastery increased rapidly. While a chapel now stands on top of the holy cave, churches were erected on both sides of the former cemetery: St-Martin in 1024 and St-Andr\u00e9 consecrated in 1118 in the presence of Pope Gelasius II. At that time, Pope Gelasius\u2019 bull enumerated the 80 priories on the two banks of the Rh\u00f4ne that already depended on the Abbey. In the 13th century, after the siege of Avignon by King Louis VIII of France and its eventual capitulation, a new chapter opened in the history of the Abbey with the act of union in 1226 between Abbot Bertrand de Clausonne and King Louis VIII, confirmed by Philippe Le Bel in 1292. The act of union recognized the seigneurial rights (rights to rule) of the abbots of Saint-Andr\u00e9, and liberated them from the control of Avignon. The agreement allowed the construction of Fort St-Andr\u00e9, which was an important outpost for the Kingdom of France and the Capetian dynasty, since the fort faced Avignon where the papacy was established in 1309. The fort was completed around 1372 and remains among the most remarkable 14th century fortifications in France.
\nThe 13th and 14th centuries were the peak of prosperity for the royal Abbey. The number of monks rose to more than 90, and an inventory done in 1307 reveals the magnitude of its treasures and its vast library. The Abbey held a vast domain to which were added the revenues of 211 priories in the Languedoc region and Provence. The dark years of the 15th and particularly the 16th century marked a period of decadence and decline.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/i>The St. Maur congregation\u2019s Abbatial Palace<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n\nIn 1637, with the installation of the Congregation of St. Maur and a resulting spiritual revival, an ambitious program of reconstruction of the monastery began with designs and oversight by Pierre Mignard, King Louis XIV\u2019s architect. The Church of St-Martin, whose vault had collapsed in 1603, was rebuilt and redecorated with red marble columns and a monumental altarpiece, and the chapel of the Virgin was added between the two churches. High walls surrounded the domain, which was dominated by the chapel of St. Casarie atop Mount Andaon.
\nThe Abbatial Palace was of typical classical design with a large two-story building standing on a terrace supported by powerful Piranesi-style vaulted arches, the ensemble completed on each side by matching three-story pavilions with pediments. In the 18th century, the architect Jean-Ange Brun redesigned and rebuilt the entry courtyard and added beautifully vaulted rooms to its pavilion. These additions and improvements vividly affirmed the power of the Church, a sharp contrast with the reality that only 11 monks were living there in 1790.<\/p>\n<\/div>
The power of the monastery increased rapidly. While a chapel now stands on top of the holy cave, churches were erected on both sides of the former cemetery: St-Martin in 1024 and St-Andr\u00e9 consecrated in 1118 in the presence of Pope Gelasius II. At that time, Pope Gelasius\u2019 bull enumerated the 80 priories on the two banks of the Rh\u00f4ne that already depended on the Abbey. In the 13th century, after the siege of Avignon by King Louis VIII of France and its eventual capitulation, a new chapter opened in the history of the Abbey with the act of union in 1226 between Abbot Bertrand de Clausonne and King Louis VIII, confirmed by Philippe Le Bel in 1292. The act of union recognized the seigneurial rights (rights to rule) of the abbots of Saint-Andr\u00e9, and liberated them from the control of Avignon. The agreement allowed the construction of Fort St-Andr\u00e9, which was an important outpost for the Kingdom of France and the Capetian dynasty, since the fort faced Avignon where the papacy was established in 1309. The fort was completed around 1372 and remains among the most remarkable 14th century fortifications in France.
\nThe 13th and 14th centuries were the peak of prosperity for the royal Abbey. The number of monks rose to more than 90, and an inventory done in 1307 reveals the magnitude of its treasures and its vast library. The Abbey held a vast domain to which were added the revenues of 211 priories in the Languedoc region and Provence. The dark years of the 15th and particularly the 16th century marked a period of decadence and decline.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/i>The St. Maur congregation\u2019s Abbatial Palace<\/a><\/h4><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n\nIn 1637, with the installation of the Congregation of St. Maur and a resulting spiritual revival, an ambitious program of reconstruction of the monastery began with designs and oversight by Pierre Mignard, King Louis XIV\u2019s architect. The Church of St-Martin, whose vault had collapsed in 1603, was rebuilt and redecorated with red marble columns and a monumental altarpiece, and the chapel of the Virgin was added between the two churches. High walls surrounded the domain, which was dominated by the chapel of St. Casarie atop Mount Andaon.
\nThe Abbatial Palace was of typical classical design with a large two-story building standing on a terrace supported by powerful Piranesi-style vaulted arches, the ensemble completed on each side by matching three-story pavilions with pediments. In the 18th century, the architect Jean-Ange Brun redesigned and rebuilt the entry courtyard and added beautifully vaulted rooms to its pavilion. These additions and improvements vividly affirmed the power of the Church, a sharp contrast with the reality that only 11 monks were living there in 1790.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/div>\nIn 1637, with the installation of the Congregation of St. Maur and a resulting spiritual revival, an ambitious program of reconstruction of the monastery began with designs and oversight by Pierre Mignard, King Louis XIV\u2019s architect. The Church of St-Martin, whose vault had collapsed in 1603, was rebuilt and redecorated with red marble columns and a monumental altarpiece, and the chapel of the Virgin was added between the two churches. High walls surrounded the domain, which was dominated by the chapel of St. Casarie atop Mount Andaon.
\nThe Abbatial Palace was of typical classical design with a large two-story building standing on a terrace supported by powerful Piranesi-style vaulted arches, the ensemble completed on each side by matching three-story pavilions with pediments. In the 18th century, the architect Jean-Ange Brun redesigned and rebuilt the entry courtyard and added beautifully vaulted rooms to its pavilion. These additions and improvements vividly affirmed the power of the Church, a sharp contrast with the reality that only 11 monks were living there in 1790.<\/p>\n<\/div>
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.abbayesaintandre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Demolition-thumb.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![\"Roseline-Bacou\"](\"http:\/\/www.abbayesaintandre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Roseline-Bacou.jpg\")
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