Monastery of Saint-André d'Eixalada
| Monastery of Saint-André d'Eixalada | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Monastery |
| Architectural style | Pre-Romanesque art and architecture |
| Town or city | Nyer commune, Pyrénées-Orientales department, Languedoc-Roussillon region. |
| Country | France |
| Coordinates | 42°32′02″N 02°15′23″E / 42.53389°N 2.25639°E |
| Inaugurated | 840 or 841 |
| Closed | 878 |
| Owner | Municipality of Nyer |
| Affiliation | Dedicated to Andrew the Apostle |
| Awards and prizes | Monument historique (1973, church) Monument historique (1975, dovecote, elevations, façade and roof) |
| Designations | Belongs to the Benedictines order, adscribed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Perpignan-Elne |
The Monastery of Saint-André d'Eixalada (Catalan: Sant Andreu d'Eixalada) was a Benedictine Christian monastery active in the 9th century in the eastern Pyrenees (now the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales). Founded on the banks of the River Têt no later than 840–841, the site suffered flood devastation in 878.
Founded by members of the same family, the Saint-André d'Eixalada monastery initially experienced a period of stagnation and poverty, until the arrival of new, much wealthier monks in 854. The wealthiest of them, Protasius, was also a dynamic man. Under his impetus, the monastery increased its possessions and influence, notably obtaining a diploma from Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, in 871, making it a royal abbey.
By 878, the abbey was at its peak. Both protégé and ally of the Count of Conflent, Miro the Elder, played a part in his conquest of the County of Roussillon. At the end of the same year, the Saint-André d'Eixalada monastery was destroyed by a flood. Such was the damage that the surviving monks decided to abandon the site and found a new abbey downstream, at Cuxa, on land belonging to Protasius.