The church Holy Andéol

The first known name of the city east Bergoïata, Celtic name of origin which pointed out its position raised on a rock dominating the Rhone. At the beginning of the Roman era, this name became Bergus or Burgum. The Gallo-Roman senators had covered with their villas this laughing hill, sitting on the edges of Tourne.

The city undergoes the invasion of the barbarians starting from V ème century century, then found one period of peace under the administration of the bishops of Fish ponds, lords of Borough-Saint-Andéol.

The current name, which goes up in XVe century, perpetuates the memory of Andéol, sub-deacon of the church of Smyrna come évangéliser the area and which was persecuted and assassinated in the city.
Under the Revolution, the city bore the name of the Borough-on-Rhone. 

The church Andéol Saint

One can regard this church as a typical Romance church of the end of the XI ème century. Quasi the absence of decoration makes it possible to propose the architectural forms and to define the essential features of the Romanesque architecture.

It can be the pretext of apprehend the various forms of voûtement (cradle, groined vault, intersecting ribs, cupola), the standard plan of the church with its constituent parts and their function (apse, chorus, transept, naves, side chapels).

The restitution of the disappeared Western parts makes it possible to appreciate an exceptional type of church in France (church with against-apse). The presence of the sarcophagus of Andéol saint is the occasion to consider at the same time the role of the relics in the history of the medieval Church and the development of the Romanesque architecture and the late appearance of the Romance sculpture in this area.

Outside, since south-east, one can appreciate the plan of origin of the church (bedside triabsidial, transept, three naves), the location of the original access to the church (gate on the southern frontage, but very remakes at the XIXe century) the additions to the primitive frame (bell-tower, vaults, pinnacle on the frontage), the types of apparatuses used (hardcores, stone of size), the typical mural ornamentation of the first southernmost Romanesque art (bands lombardes), the insufficiency of the original system of contrebutement compensated by large propping up later.
The gate of current access and the frontage western correspond to a transformation of the XVIIIe century. This frontage is dominated by the statue of Andéol saint.

Inside it is necessary to disregard carved element, for the majority carried out at the time of the restorations of the XIXe century. Structure very purified whose ornament is consisted constructive elements: plays of light produced by the beams, the double roller of the arcs…

The barrel vault is balanced by the cradles of the sides. The vault of the nave, range higher than those of collateral, allows, as in the other large churches of the area, a direct lighting of central space. The transept crossing is marked, as it is the practice, by a cupola on horns. This one is of a rare type, with its series of blind arcades between the horns.

In the west, the against-apse, which one sees the starter on both sides organ loft, concerned type an exceptional of organization in France but well-known in Germany. With this against-apse a platform was superimposed which was prolonged in the first span of the nave (a recent restoration restored in its dimension of origin).

The sarcophagus

The sarcophagus of Andéol saint is an ancient fleshfly: on its face of origin a cartouche carried by winged geniuses contains the name of late, a young boy, and his age, seven years.

This sarcophagus was re-used at the beginning of XIIe century to shelter the relics of the saint. One then carved the face opposed with to the center a long Latin inscription with the glory of the saint and on both sides, under arcs, the figures of Polycarpe saint and Bénigne saint, decoration supplemented by a plank of interlacing in top and animals faced in bottom.

Very close from there the epitaph of the bishop of Bernoin Fish ponds is presented under the episcopate of which the relics of Andéol were discovered into 858. The epitaph is surrounded by a band decorated with interlacing.

History of Andéol Saint

Saint-Andéol, who had come to preach in Vivarais around this hill (about year 166 of our era, it was sent by Polycarpe, bishop of Smyrna (Turkey current) for évangéliser midday of Gaule), suffered martyrdom with Gentibus, located on left bank of the Eastern branch of the Rhone, opposite the hill called Insula Martis.
The Severe Septime Emperor, of passage in the area, intended to speak about him and made it put at dead on May 1, 208. Its body was thrown in the Rhone.
If it is necessary to believe the antique of it captions, the body of the apostle was then pushed by the current on the shore of the colony of the Borough or of Berg-Oïati, there, it was collected by Amycia Eucheria Tullia, girl of the senator Eucherius Valerianits, whose grandfather is mentioned in the Comments of César.

Sainte Amycie made dig in the rock an oratory, where it deposited the remainders of Andéol saint. During the invasion of the Vandals, Tullie transferred them onto the edges of the Durance; in this place, a village was built, which still bears the name of Holy-Tullie.
With the VIII ème century, the Moors devastated the edges of the Rhone, and Vivarais was about to lose the faith; then the holy bishop Béravin 1st was informed, by a vision, place where were the relics of Andéol saint, and reported them him-mème to Berg-Oïati, in the tomb that holy Amycie had made him dig. Since this time, Berg-Oïati became the goal of a famous pilgrimage, and, instead of Berg, who means forest, Burg or city was called; then it was named thereafter Burgus Sancti Andeoli.

At the eleventh century, the cardinal saint Lager, bishop of Fish ponds, made build, in the honor of saint Andéol, the vast one and beautiful church which still exists there. The popular error a long time gave the name of tomb of Andéol saint to an ancient fleshfly, out of white marble, which is placed close to the door of this church.

http://www.ardecol.ac-grenoble.fr/bases/edpatr3.nsf/0/ccf04cc35c1519efc12569eb0049fc1b?OpenDocument
http://www.nimausensis.com/ardeche/Gravures/StAndeol.htm
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourg-Saint-And%C3%A9ol