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Origin and history

Fort Saint-André is a medieval fortress built on Mount Andaon, dominant Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and the Rhône. This strategic site, on the border between the Kingdom of France and the pontifical states, was chosen to affirm the royal power and protect the Benedictine abbey Saint Andrew, founded in the tenth century, as well as the neighbouring village. Its architecture combines military defence and political symbolism, with stunning views of Avignon, Mont Ventoux and the Alpilles.

The construction of the fort began under the reign of John II the Good (mid 14th century) to counter the influence of the popes of Avignon and the Empire. The fortification finished under Charles V, with architect Jean de Loubières (known as Jean de Louvres), also designer of the Popes' Palace. The entrance chestnut, flanked by twin towers crowned with mâchicoulis, housed the premises of the chestnut and the viguier, while a 750-metre enclosure, punctuated with towers like that of the Masks, girded the site. The fort remained occupied by a garrison until the French Revolution.

The monument also incorporates the remains of Saint-André Abbey, founded in the 10th century and partially rebuilt by the Benedictines of Saint-Maur in the 17th–15th centuries. The chapel Notre-Dame-de-Belvézet (XII century), the ruins of the cloister, and the graffiti of soldiers in the tower of the Masks bear witness to its turbulent history. Ranked a Historical Monument since 1903, the fort today embodies an exceptional military and religious heritage, marked by conflicts between French kingship and pontifical power.

The abbey, sold as a national property in 1798, underwent massive demolitions (cloister, churches, monastic buildings), retaining only a few medieval and Maurist elements. The architects François de Royers de la Valfenière, Jean Franque, and Pierre Mignard worked there before the Revolution. The site, a mixed property (state, common, private), offers a dive into the medieval and modern history of the region, between war, faith and power.

The protection of the fort extends to its enclosure, its towers, and surrounding plots, classified by successive decrees between 1903 and 1947. The mâchicoulis of the chestnut, the royal weapons carved in the viguier room, and the graffiti of prisoners recall its role as a must-have bastion. Today managed by the National Monuments Centre, it attracts for its panorama and architecture, symbol of tensions between France and papacy in the Middle Ages.

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