The first church of Saint-André dates to the early ninth century. For many centuries it was eclipsed by the neighbouring church of Saint Severinus (home to the remains of the companions of Saint Jacques and the hunting horn of the famous Frankish military leader Roland). Gradually, though, it became the leading church of Aquitaine. In 1137, the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine (future mother of the English King Richard the Lionheart) to Louis VII of France sealed its pre-eminence. In the early 13th century, the Bordelais (the inhabitant of Bordeaux) decided to demolish the old church and replace it with a magnificent Gothic cathedral after an architectural style that was just becoming very fashionable in France.