Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The collegiate Saint-André, founded in 1228 by André Dauphin as a private chapel and dynastic necropolis, was built thanks to the income of Brandes-en-Oisans silver mines. Its architecture, marked by a unique nave, a low transept and a lateral tuff bell tower surmounted by an octagonal arrow, illustrates the primitive late Romanesque and Gothic style typical of the Dauphiné. The building, dedicated to St Andrew, initially housed the tombs of the dolphins, destroyed in 1562 by the Protestant troops of the Baron of the Adrets during the Wars of Religion.

Transferred from Champagnier to Grenoble in 1227 with the agreement of Bishop Soffroy, the chapter of thirteen canons was led by a provost and aimed to compete with the episcopal authority. The statutes were drafted by Jean de Bernin, archbishop of Vienna. The college became a place of power, welcoming major events such as the preaching of Saint Francis de Sales or the conversion of the Duke of Lesdiguières to Catholicism. After the annexation of the Dauphiné by France in 1349, it served as a royal chapel, notably under Louis XI, which granted privileges in the 15th century.

Disused as a collegiate in the Revolution (1790), the church became parish in 1802 and since 1822 has housed the tomb of Knight Bayard, transferred from the convent of Minimes. The bell tower, 56 meters high and completed at the end of the 13th century, is an emblem of Grenoble. The organ, whose buffet dates from 1701-1704, and the 19th century stained glass windows (Lucien Bégule) bear witness to its rich artistic heritage. Ranked a historic monument in 2010, the college combines political, religious and architectural history.

The western portal, adorned with a tympanum depicting Saint John the Baptist, and the southern portal, with angels censoring a cross, combine Romanesque and Gothic influences. The 13th century helical staircase, the sacristy once home to the Dauphinian archives, and the lateral chapels added to the 14th and 15th centuries complete this ensemble. The bell used to ring at 10 p.m., signaling the closure of the city's gates until 1877.

The college was served by traditionalist communities (Institut du Christ Roi, Fraternité Saint-Pierre) between 2008 and 2022, before returning to the diocesan clergy. Its history reflects the tensions between the Dauphinian, royal and then Republican powers, and the Church, while remaining a place of memory for figures such as Bayard, Saint Francis de Sales or the young Stendhal, who lived nearby.

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