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Origin and history

The Musée du cloître Saint-André-le-Bas was created in 1938 to preserve and exhibit the remains of the 12th century Romanesque cloister and associated epigraphic collections. The latter, formed in the Middle Ages, come from excavations and acquisitions carried out in Vienna and in the Viennese country in the 19th and 20th centuries. The most remarkable set includes Christian epitaphs dating back to the 7th and 7th centuries, including that of Foedula, as well as medieval funerary stones (XII-14th centuries). The museum is located in the outbuildings of the former Saint-André-le-Bas Abbey, founded in the 6th century and linked to the neighbouring church, which was rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries.

The Roman cloister, decorated with carved columns and capitals, bears witness to the influence of ancient art. It is associated with a church with exceptional Romanesque decor, former chapel of the palace of King Boson at the end of the 9th century. The walls of the museum display listed funerary stones (Vth-XIVth centuries), as well as liturgical elements such as Carolingian chancels, a 12th-century altar and late antiquity sarcophagi. These collections illustrate the historical importance of Vienna, an ancient Roman city and medieval religious centre.

The museum benefits from the label Musée de France and is located on the Place du Jeu de Paume in Vienna (Isère), although some sources initially mention Chuzelles. Its official address in the Museofile base clearly places it in the department of l'Isère, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The heritage interest of the site lies in its dual dimension: archaeological, with ancient and medieval remains, and historical, through the evolution of the abbey and its spiritual role since the 6th century.

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