Saint-André, Romanesque parish church in Angoulême, France

Saint-André is a parish church in the historic centre of Angoulême, built of light grey ashlar. Its 1825 neoclassical façade by Paul Abadie senior has pilasters, Ionic capitals and a triangular pediment, with statues of Saint Andrew and Saint Paul in niches flanking the portal. Behind it, the 12th-century avant-nef keeps a barrel vault on slightly pointed transverse arches, while the 16th-century nave has four bays of domed Angevin rib vaults.

A church is mentioned in a charter of 1020, but nothing of it survives. The present building was begun in the 12th century beside the palace of the Taillefer counts. Damaged in the Hundred Years' War, it was modernised from the second half of the 15th century with two side aisles, chapels and rib vaults. Coligny's troops sacked it in 1568; the nave vaults were only rebuilt in March 1668.

The church keeps a collection of paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, among them a 16th-century Martyre de sainte Ursule and Claude Vignon's Saint Wolfgang apparaissant à saint Henri. The carved wooden baroque pulpit and the marble high altar holding relics of Saint Andrew are also part of the furnishings.

The building remains active as a place of worship and can be visited during designated hours to explore its architectural features. Visitors should check opening times in advance, as these may vary depending on religious schedules and events.

The bell tower rises about 35 metres and holds a carillon of seven bells. The largest, cast in 1550, long served to summon the city aldermen or to sound the tocsin in times of war or fire.