Abbaye Saint-André de Lavaudieu

Lavaudieu

In the "valley of God" watered by the Senouire, the abbey of Saint-André was founded in 1057 by Saint Robert of Turlande, the founder of La Chaise-Dieu, following a donation made around 1050 by Raoul de Lugeac; he established Benedictine nuns there. Its Romanesque cloister of the 11th–12th centuries, with single and paired columns topped by historiated capitals, is the jewel of the site. The 12th-century refectory is adorned with a fresco of Byzantine inspiration, and the church houses a cycle of 14th-century wall paintings of the Italian school, rediscovered in 1966–1967: the Crucifixion, scenes of the Passion and the famous allegory of the Black Death, a figure of Death loosing her arrows on the crowd. The octagonal bell tower was partly truncated at the Revolution, in 1793. Another famous episode: Cardinal de Rohan found refuge at the priory in 1786, after the Affair of the Queen's Necklace. Church and cloister have been listed as monuments historiques (historic monuments) since 1862, the refectory since 1932 and the gardens since 2001, and the village is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France.

Getting there : Le Bourg, 43100 Lavaudieu; abbey and museum of popular arts and traditions open from May to September, out-of-season visits by appointment with an independent guide (information 04 71 76 46 00).

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound