Collégiale Saint-André, Collegiate church in Chartres, France
The Collégiale Saint-André is a collegiate church in Chartres situated on the banks of the Eure River, featuring a 12th-century Romanesque western facade without a sculptured tympanum. It now functions as an exhibition space for contemporary art through the city's Chemin des Arts program.
According to tradition, Saint Aignan built the first church on the site of a Gallo-Roman amphitheater, whose remains survive in a crypt wall. A 10th-century building burned in 1134, leaving only the crypts. The church was rebuilt and completed in the second half of the 12th century; Jehan de Beauce rebuilt the choir in the 16th century.
The Saint-André fair, which grew up around the church in the crowded working quarter during the Middle Ages, still takes place today, though at a different site. Since the 1980s and 2003 restorations, the former collegiate church and its crypts have served as a venue for cultural and artistic activities. In February 2025 the city of Chartres chose Udo Zembok (design) and the Loire workshops (production) to create new stained-glass windows.
The building sits right by the river, making it easy to reach from the city center. Since it operates as an art gallery, visiting hours may vary depending on the exhibition schedule.
The choir was rebuilt in the 16th century by Jehan de Beauce, the architect also associated with the cathedral's towers. It stood on an arch thrown over the Eure in the early 13th century, and a second arch over the rue du Massacre followed in the 17th century to carry the chapel of the Virgin.
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