Saint-André-Les-Vergers: Church Art and Green Spaces

Saint-André-Les-Vergers combines protected church art with gardens, municipal cultural and sports facilities, and several green spaces. You can focus on historic details, plan a concert or event, or explore green spaces and walking routes. The different places vary in character and use, so you can tailor your stay to your interests.

Church, Art and Monumental History

The Église Saint-André was rebuilt from east to west in the first half of the 16th century. The church and its stained-glass windows have been classified as historic monuments since 1840. The Église paroissiale Saint-André is also home to the statue “Saint évêque et donatrice”: a polychrome limestone sculpture from the 16th century, classified as a protected object on 4 April 1966. The two dates refer to different protected monuments: the church and its windows on the one hand, and the sculpture on the other.

The Montier La Celle Abbey is also part of the town’s history. It was founded in the 7th century by Abbot Frobert of Troyes. A section of the entrance portal, part of the surrounding wall and the dovecote have survived. Saint-André-Les-Vergers thus offers both ecclesiastical architectural history and individual surviving features of a former abbey.

Cultural and Sports Facilities

The Espace Gérard Philipe, also known as La Grange, is a concert and event venue in Saint-André-Les-Vergers. If a performance is important to your trip, plan around the current season’s programme. The Ludothèque municipale offers a different focus: open play, games to borrow and recreational activities. Its collection includes more than 2,000 games and toys for all age groups. You can weigh up a cultural event and a recreational activity as different elements of your stay.

The Jean-Bianchi sports complex has a multi-purpose hall for activities such as dancing and climbing. The Stade d’Echenilly has a floodlit artificial-turf rugby pitch as well as a natural-grass playing field. Use of the sports facilities may depend on the applicable access rules; check these if you are planning a sporting activity.

Green Spaces, Gardens and Routes

Three major green spaces are open to the public on the edge of the town: Île Germaine, Bert Cortins with the Bassin des Roises, and Fontaine Saint-Martin. The local “piste verte” is a 9.5-kilometre jogging route through wooded areas of Île Germaine, Foirail and Fontaine Saint-Martin; it includes two circuits. If you plan to use the route, check the signs on site.

Foirail also has a skatepark for BMX and wheeled sports such as skateboarding, inline skating and riding scooters. Nature and gardening can also be found in smaller details: the educational garden at Square David Ben Gourion includes a permaculture vegetable garden, a pond, insect hotels, a hedgehog shelter, grapevines and fruit trees. Individual features may change over time.

Le jardin de l’église is laid out in the medieval tradition of the paradise garden. A cross-shaped path leads to a fountain at its centre. The garden also has a herb garden with edible and medicinal plants, including thyme, chives, savory, rosemary and bay laurel. The “Garden of Time” consists of twelve consecutive planting strips that bloom month by month. In the Vallée des Viennes, the diverse flora and fauna attract walkers.

Gardening Tradition

Saint-André-Les-Vergers has a gardening tradition that includes growing fruit, vegetables and produce from its orchards. As early as 1559, residents were granted the right to offer vegetables for sale at the market in Troyes. This historic connection to horticulture adds a perspective on the area’s former local food supply to its church and garden themes. You can combine different interests during your stay: protected art, surviving architectural heritage, municipal facilities and green spaces.

Discover more destinations: Charmont-sous-Barbuise, Rilly-Sainte-Syre, Fontaine-Mâcon, Saint-Benoît-Sur-Seine, Dierrey-Saint-Julien, Créney-Près-Troyes, Isle-Aumont, Paisy-Cosdon.

For the regional travel overview: Aube.