The Fort Saint-André is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

in the '' commune'' of

Villeneuve-lès-Avignon Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (; Provençal: ''Vilanòva d’Avinhon'') is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It can also be spelled ''Villeneuve-lez-Avignon''. History In the 6th century the Benedictine abbey of St André was fou ...

in the

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of France, dating from the first half of the 14th century.

History

The treaty of Paris, signed in 1229 at the end of the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...

, handed the French crown land to the west of the Rhone from

Pont-Saint-Esprit Pont-Saint-Esprit (, literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; ) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche flows into the Rhône, jus ...

to the Mediterranean and a joint interest in the city of

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

. In 1290 the French king, Philip IV (Philippe-le-Bel or Philip the Fair), ceded his claim to Avignon to his father's cousin,

Charles II of Naples Charles II, also known as Charles the Lame (; ; 1254 – 5 May 1309), was King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier (1285–1309), Prince of Achaea (1285–1289), and Count of Anjou and Maine (1285–1290); he also was King of Albania ( ...

who was the

Count of Provence The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

through his marriage to

Beatrice of Provence Beatrice of Provence (23 September 1267), was the ruling Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1245 until her death, as well as Countess of Anjou and Maine and Queen of Sicily by marriage to Charles I of Naples. Beatrice was the fourth ...

. The

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

Abbey of Saint-André occupied a strategic position on Mount Andaon within sight of the town of Avignon which lay on the other side of the Rhone. Mount Andaon is a rocky outcrop with steep sides to the north and the east that rises 50 m above the floodplain of the Rhone. Prior to the 1770s the river flowed next to the base of the eastern side of the mount. The plateau at the top covers an area of around 3.5 hectare and extends for 220 m in an east–west direction and 160 m north–south. The top is not flat but rises from south to north by 24 m. The abbey was built at the eastern end of the plateau; the western end was occupied by a small village. The abbey had been founded at the end of the 10th century and possessed extensive property with over 200 churches spread over a wide area of southern France. In 1290 Philip IV instructed Adam de Montcéliard, the

sénéchal Senechal or Sénéchal may refer to: People * Florian Sénéchal, French racing cyclist * Marjorie Senechal (née Wikler), American mathematician and historian of science * Michel Sénéchal, French tenor * Robert Sénéchal, French industrialist/m ...

of Beaucaire, to negotiate an agreement with the abbey to cooperate in the defense of the right bank of the Rhone. The ''

paréage In Medieval France a ''paréage'' or pariage was a feudal treaty recognising joint sovereignty over a territory by two rulers, who were on an equal footing, ''pari passu''; compare peer. On a familial scale, ''paréage'' could also refer to the ...

'' treaty signed in 1292 specified that Philippe le Bel could build a fortress with a permanent garrison next to the abbey and a castle by the river. The abbey surrendered temporal power but obtained protection from the unwanted pressure from the city of Avignon which wished to control both banks of the Rhone. By 1302 fortifications, including an initial

Tour Philippe-le-Bel Tour Philippe-le-Bel () is a medieval tower in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon which marked the French terminus of the Pont Saint-Bénézet, Saint-Bénézet Bridge across the Rhone between the Kingdom of France and Avignon Papacy, Papal territory of Avi ...

, had been built at the western end of the

Pont Saint-Bénézet The Pont Saint-Bénézet (; Provençal: ), also known as the Pont d'Avignon (), was a medieval bridge across the Rhône in the town of Avignon, in southern France. Only four arches survive. An early wooden bridge spanning the Rhône betwee ...

which lay less than kilometer from the abbey. In 1309,

Pope Clement V Pope Clement V (; – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his death, in April 1314. He is reme ...

moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon. The fortress of Saint-André, with the curtain wall that surrounded the abbey, was built in several stages during the first half of the 14th century. The surviving manuscripts do not allow the construction to be precisely dated. A

châtelain Châtelain was originally the French title for the keeper of a castle.Abraham Rees Ebers, "CASTELLAIN", in: The Cyclopædia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature' (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1819), vol. 6. H ...

is mentioned in documents dating from 1314 and 1344, a guard is mentioned in 1318. The carved crest placed by the abbey above the entrance is dated 20 July 1367. This was probably when modifications were made to the entrance arch. The fortress was continually occupied by officers of the crown up to the time of French revolution. The fortress was clearly visible from

Papal State The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy fro ...

across the Rhone in the town of

and was intended to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom of France.

Preservation

The Fort Saint-André is included as a ''

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' by decrees of the 25 April 1903 and 14 November 1925. The site is regularly open to the public for a fee, though it receives a fraction of the visitors at the nearby

Palais des Papes The ( English: Palace of the Popes; ''lo Palais dei Papas'' in Occitan) in Avignon, Southern France, is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was a seat of We ...

Gallery

File:Entree fort stAndré.JPG, Gatehouse File:2012 Villeneuve-lès-Avignon 05.JPG, View along the ramparts towards the gatehouse Fort Saint-André.JPG, View of the fortress from the southeast Villeneuve-lès-Avignon by JM Rosier.JPG, View of the fortress from

References

Sources

*. *. *. A scan of the article is also available from th
Internet Archive
without the figures. *. *. *. *. *.

External links

* Official website. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Andre, Fort Buildings and structures completed in 1302 Museums in Gard Castles in Gard Châteaux in Gard Buildings and structures in Gard Avignon Papacy Monuments historiques of Gard Monuments of the Centre des monuments nationaux