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Origin and history

The collegiate Notre-Dame des Andelys, founded in 1225 on the ruins of a convent of women established in 511 by Saint Clotilde, wife of Clovis I, is the oldest monastic foundation attested in Upper Normandy. Ranked as a historical monument in 1840, it combines a variety of architectural styles, with a 13th century facade partially restored in the 19th century, a flamboyant southern Gothic portal (15th to 16th centuries), and a north Renaissance portal, built during the reign of Henry II (1547–1559). The building, of vast dimensions (70 m long, 24 m wide at the transept), once housed a central arrow destroyed during the Second World War.

Construction and beautification work continued until the 17th century, with major restorations carried out in 1860 by architect Alphonse Durand. The stained glass windows, largely made by 15th century glass masters, include works by Arnoult de Nijmegen (1475–1540) and Romain Buron, as well as a glass window dedicated to Saint Clotilde, donated around 1540–50 by Alexandre La Vache and his wife. These stained glass windows were restored in the 19th century by Édouard Didron, Pierre Gaudin, and the Duhamel Marette workshops. A frieze carved under the north windows illustrates scenes of rural life.

The church maintains a 1573 carved wooden organ buffet decorated with biblical, mythological and scientific scenes, as well as a modern instrument signed Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Among his pictorial treasures are three paintings by Quentin Varin (circa 1612), master of Nicolas Poussin, and a work by Jacques Stella (1640). The statuary includes a 16th century sculpted group representing the burial, coming from the Chartreuse de Bourbon-lèz-Gaillon. Several tombstones of the 13th and 17th centuries are also present, including that of Richard de Saint-Laurent (circa 1254), Dean of the chapter of Andely.

The college is also linked to literary figures: Marie de Lamperière, wife of Pierre Corneille, and her brother-in-law Thomas Corneille are buried there, although their burials remain unobtainable. In 1656 the church received a relic from Saint Clotilde (a coast), strengthening its status as a place of veneration. The tombs of the former lords of Radeval, mentioned in 1718 by Nicolas Bertin, were near the high altar. The building, owned by the municipality, thus bears witness to an exceptional artistic, historical and religious heritage, marked by Flemish, renaissant and Baroque influences.

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