La Romieu
La Romieu is a pretty village with charming, stone-built houses in northern Gers between Condom and Lectoure, just 10km from the department of Lot-et-Garonne.
History of La Romieu
At the end of the 11th century, a German monk named Albert returning from a pilgrimage to Rome and on his way to Santiago de Compostela , settled in this area. He founded a priory attached to the Abbey Saint Victor de Marseille on land belonging to the Seigneurs de Firmacon, Vicomtes de Lomagne. A ‘Salvetat’ village (place of safety) was built around the priory. « Roumiou » means pilgrim in Gascon. In the 14th century, the village grew in importance when Arnaud d’Aux, a dignitary at the Papal court in Avignon, decided that his native village should be the site of his family tomb and so built the collegiate church of Saint Pierre there.
The village of La Romieu has an irregular pentagonal shape, and was originally equipped with crenelated walls, ditches and drawbridges, gates and towers. All this did not prevent Protestant troops, led by Mongommery, from entering the village and burning down a large number of dwellings and archives. The parish church on what is now the main square was destroyed after the French Revolution. The northern gateway still exists in its original form. It is crowned by a square tower with machicolations and corner arrow slits. The central square and the arcades, which contain shops, have recently been renovated. Water from the Petit Auvignon river flows gently through the wash pool and Gothic fountain in a wonderfully tranquil setting.
The delightful historic village of La Romieu is well-known for its collegiate church, a jewel of Gothic architecture, listed building and World Heritage Site since 1998. Visited by 28,000 tourists every year, it is a major attraction for the village which in July 2018 became one of the « Loveliest Villages in France ». This remarkable example of southern architecture comprises a church with a single nave, a cloister and two towers, one of which has a secret passage and double staircase. There are also gardens, a rampart walk and an octagonal tower with newly-restored frescoes.
Sight-seeing in La Romieu
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L'Ecurie - Domaine Lagarrière
in L'ISLE-BOUZON - Gers
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Linde d'été - Domaine Lagarrière
in L'ISLE-BOUZON - Gers