Abbaye de Saint-André-le-Bas de Vienne, Medieval abbey in Vienne, France.

The Abbaye de Saint-André-le-Bas in Vienne consists of the church of Saint-André-le-Bas and a Romanesque cloister built in the mid-12th century, the only complete Romanesque cloister in Rhône-Alpes. The church has a square bell tower in stages, a rounded apse wall with tall arched windows, and a gabled roofline. The cloister's capitals are mostly plant-based, inspired by Corinthian models, and include carvings of Samson tearing the lion and a bear in a vine.

The monastery was founded in the 6th century by Duke Ansemond at the junction of the Rhône and Gère rivers. Over the medieval period it developed into an important religious center for the region.

The quarter around the abbey, the Grande Paroisse, had a large Jewish population, and the abbey's archives frequently mention it. The first meetings of the city consuls were often held near the abbey church. In the 13th century the abbot won from the pope the right to wear a mitre.

The monastery is easily accessible on foot and offers many corners to explore. Take your time walking through the cloister and notice the details of the capitals along the way.

The 1152 building campaign is dated by an inscription on a nave pilaster: "Willelmus Martini me fecit anno Domini 1152." The same campaign raised the walls, vaulted the church, added flying buttresses and built the bell tower.