A little history of Saint-André church in Châteauroux
And also
The tops
Our Gothic church looks like a little cathedral! An old Romanesque church called Saint-André used to exist in the city heart, raised in 1171 and demolished in 1793.
At that time, people needed a decent place of worship: they decided that inhabitants would go to Mass in the old Cordeliers church.
But, problem! This church was ruined! They had to raise a new one. In 1844, they put the architect Bisson in charge of the project.
The plot of land was given by general Bertrand's brother (famous emperor Napoleon's general, born in Châteauroux). But money lacked. Building work stopped.
They finally found funds thanks to a lottery. This time, Indre departement's architect Alfred Dauvergne was called in 1851. He worked a lot in Châteauroux, he put up churches, Balsan factory, the castle...
Saint-André's construction began in 1869 and ended in 1876.