Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Cléry-Saint-André has its origin in the discovery of a miraculous statue of the Virgin, attracting pilgrims from the thirteenth century. Around 1300, Philip IV the Bel founded a collegiate church, destroyed in 1428 by the English during the Hundred Years War, leaving only the square bell tower standing. The reconstruction was initiated in 1443 by Charles VII and Jean de Dunois, after the wish of Louis XI, then Dauphin, to rebuild the church if he won the battle of Dieppe.

The construction, led by master masons Pierre Chauvin and Pierre Le Page (1449–185), is part of the flamboyant Gothic style. Louis XI added relics, including St.Epine, and made the church a royal chapel in 1467. The chapel of Saint John, built by Simon Duval for Jean de Dunois (1483), houses their graves. In the 16th century, two chapels were added, including a hexagonal signed by Jean des Roches, linked to the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

The church became a place of royal burial: Louis XI and Charlotte de Savoie were buried there in 1483, their bronze tomb destroyed in 1562 by Protestants. The relics of the sovereigns, partially preserved, were rediscovered in 1889. Ranked a historic monument in 1840, the basilica underwent restorations in the 19th and 20th centuries, notably by Viollet-le-Duc. It remains a Marian pilgrimage site, celebrated every 8 September.

The wars of Religion (1562) and the French Revolution (1792) seriously damaged the building: the royal tomb was melted, and the bones dispersed. In the 19th century, François-Narcisse Pagot and Romagnesi restored a mausoleum, while Eugene Viollet-le-Duc restored the church. In 1894 she was elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII. Excavations in 1873 revealed the heart of Charles VIII, and recent works (2002, 2009) preserved his sculpted and architectural heritage.

Architecturally, the basilica combines the Latin cross, Gothic vaults and the dardian roof. It houses 43 16th century stalls, a pulpit, and baptismal fonts. Its 13th century bell tower, the only vestige of the medieval building, bears witness to its turbulent history. Today it is a parish church, dependent on the diocese of Orléans and attracts the faithful for its annual pilgrimage and royal heritage.

External links