The name "ROMIEU" derives from the gascon word "ROUMIOU" (referring to pilgrims on their way to Rome). A monk named Albert, returning from a pilgrimage to St Jacques de Compostelle in the 11th century, stayed here and founded a small ecclesiastical community on land belonging to the lords of Firmacon, Viscounts of Lomagne.
In the XIVth century, the village grew in importance when Arnaud d'Aux, a dignitary of the Papal Court who had been born here, built the collegiate church of Saint Pierre and it's cloister in the village (1312-1318).
Cardinal d'Aux changed the Benedictine community into a college of 14 regular canons led by a dean and a sub-dean.
At this time the Cardinal was also the president of the Court of Templars.
Arnaud d'Aux died about 1321 in Avignon. His body now rests in an alcove within the collegiate church.
In 1575, the villageand its surrounding suffered when Montgomery's protestant troops passed through; the cloister was burnt down and the stained glass windows bricked up. During the French Revolution, part of the archives were burnt together with the rood screen. The collegiate church became a parish church.
In present times, the collegiate church and its cloister have been listed as Ancient Monuments since 1901 and have been registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1999. The "Tower of the Cardinal", a remnant of the ancien palace has also been listed as an Ancient Monument since 1928.
The church :
The collegiate of Saint Pierre formed the basis of an establishment, which included a cloister and living quarters for the Canons. The Deanery and the Palace of the Cardinal d'Aux were situated in the south-west of the cloister.
The collegiate church was built very rapidly between 1313 and 1318 (the date upon wich the Cardinal d'Aux would consecrate it himself) following a plan as for a large chapel, a single nave being sufficient for the exclusive use of the Canons. The dimensions set out were not however the traditional ones for a single nave, with a total length of 36 metres, the width barely exceeded 9 metres whereas the height at the keystone was 15 metres.
The Abbot Broconat records that the whole of the church was painted 'at the entrance to the sanctuary the two patron saints were represented, Saint Peter beside the Gospel and Saint Paul beside the Epistle. In the sections of the vaulted ceiling angels swung a golden censer toward the Lamb, wich was represented, on the keystone. In the nave, the four major and twelve minor prophets were painted standing beside the Epistle, each having in his land a pennant of which was indicated some of their prophecies. Beside the Gospel might be seen tha apostles and the evangelists.
In 1864 it was decided to strip the surface and lay bare the stone. None of the painted decorations have survived in the church other than three escutcheons, which were discovered under several coats of white wash on the pinion inside the entrance door. Two of these escutcheons carry the coats of arms of the lords of Aux, patrons of the chapters; they are separated by the escutcheon of the lord of Firmacon
The Tower of the Sacristy :
Two towers flank the church, one on the north-east and the other on the north-west aspect. This design resembles that of certain contemporary chateaux of Gascony, which are characterised by one hall joining two towers.
The most colossal of the towers is that at the east and is of octogonal shape. Perhaps it is meant to remind one of the chateau which the lords of Firmacon built at Mas d'Auvignon not far from here. Supported by six sturdy buttresses, the tower of LA ROMIEU comprises three beautiful rooms, one above the other, vaulted with diagonal ribs and lit by narrow windows. A spiral staircase enclosed within square walls links the three storeys. Traditionally the lower room is identified as the sacristy (which purpose it continues to fulfil), the second as the chapter room and the third as the archival room, the order of the last two being sometimes inverted. Crowning the whole is a tured pierced on each side by two windows of clover leaf shape, a precursor or the aerial constructions which developed in the upper parts of the fortified chateaux of the late XIV century. A balustrade indented with a design of small roses surmounts the turret.
The three rooms were probably all painted, but only the sacristy has preserved its' decor. In the sections of the vault sixteen angels hold the crowns, play trumpets or swing the censer. These graceful silhouettes, each with a halo, in accordance with the fashion widespread in south-west France in the late XIII and early XIVth century, stand out from a white background. On the walls, quadrangular shapes emblazoned with escutcheons (most of them indistinct) alternate with rows of octagonal shapes. The octagons in the lower rows enclose busts of people whereas those on the upper parts of the walls contain abstract decorations.
The ring tower
The bell tower is built over the cloister gallery. It has four floors and is based on arches, two semicircular and two-thirds point. It contains the bells of which the largest (900 kg) is one of the oldest in the Gers (1450).
This tower is linked to the floors of the cloister, the church, but especially to houses of the palace which rose more than 3,600 m² west of the college.
This tower was built after the collegiate church, but the same time as the cloister. It was not a fortified tower (large openings).
The staircase that serves the tower is also housed in a little tower against the wall of the church. It leads to the four floors and provides access to the roof of the church (which used to a terrace). The peculiarity of this staircase is located at its base. In fact, over 11 steps, this staircase is double helix around a central core. In the small semi-circular hall carved into the wall to join the two accesses, there are three small loopholes that can see the cloister, the church and the tower of the Palace.
Built on the same schema as than Chambord, this staircase dating from the XIV century was certainly developed with the objective of defense.
To see absolutely!
The cloister
The cloister is located north of the church and was probably built after the church and the same time as the bell tower.
Living space and pray exclusively reserved to the canons, it originally had two floors. You can still see traces of crows that were used to support the floors and the remains of sinks south and north.
The cloister consists of four arches with twin openings and triple and four doors allow access.
The great north door opened onto the village. In the southeast corner, the door was reserved for the chapter. The southern gate gave access to the palace. The west gate also gave access to the palace.
The capitals of the cloister were decorated with foliage and figures. The base was prismatic. Animals are frequently associated with a person, like the floral decoration. The disproportion of the persons (the head relative to the body) is infused with canons roman.
The cloister was burnt in 1569 and the floors (wood) were destroyed. This big fire we can find the trace over the pillars of the cloister have been partially eroded. Some pillars have been the subject of restoration over the centuries as you can see today.
Below the level of the first floor you can see a painted tomb liter. On it there are blazons (discovered in 1995):
- In the middle the family crest (Aux)
- Above the crown of the Marquis d'Aux
- On both sides two lions holding the crown
- Below the collar of the Knights of Malta
The first floor, north side, we communicated with a house on the other side of the street (we still see a walled door) that extended to the ditches of the city. This was the house of the Dean of the Chapter.
The Palace of the Cardinal
Cardinal d'Aux added a palace to its building, located west side of the collegiate church. Probably similar to the Cardinals houses (Avignon), this palace was to receive the apartments of Cardinal and his entourage. Its position allowed privileged access for the cardinal in the collegiate church. Probably composed of several private houses built around central courtyards, the palace was bought national property during the French Revolution and was sold stone quarry. The floors disappeared at that time.
Today there is the tower called "the Cardinal" and the palace walls that are used in residential homes behind the collegiate church. The west entrance of the Palace is quite well preserved, with its arched vault protected by machicoulis.
The entire architecture of La Romieu is a splendid examlpe of the patronage extended principally toward the South of France by the Papal Court of Avignon
La Romieu before the beginning of the XIVè century :
Many believe the name La Romieu is derived from the gascony word "Romiou" meaning pilgrim. It is more likely that it arose from the founding of the village by the German pilgrim Albert, who, together with a fellow pilgrim had vowed to go to Rome.
Having been to the Holy City and received the benediction of the Pope, they returned to France and walked through Gascony. In order to devote themselves totally to prayer they settled in a secluded spot in the Forest of Firmacon offered to them to them by the Viscount of Lomagne. The chapel they founded there soon became the centre of a Benedictine priory in the purview of St Victor of Marseille.
The charter of May 28th . 1082 recounts that Odon Viscounts of Lomagne and his wife Adelaïde solemny re-affirmed their gift to the pilgrim Albert at the Abbey of St Victor of Marseille. By this time a village was developing close to the former hermitage and the charter details the rights and jurisdiction conceded to the monks of Marseille.
The church of Notre Dame was first built for the use of the priory and this church stood on what is now the village square of La Romieu, close to the Town Hall and to the west of the present church.
This church of Notre Dame should not be confused with the older parochial church of Saint Jean de Rouède, the ruins of which can be seen near the gateway of Rouede.
As a result of a dispute with the Viscount of Lomagne, The Abbot of Saint Victor conceded his rights in the village of LA ROMIEU on October. 12th. 1258 in favour of Alphonse of Poitiers. On the death of the latter these rights were transferred, together with the county of Toulouse, to the King of France.
Soon after the renunciation by Saint Victor of Marseille of his Lordship over the village of La Romieu, the priory itself was sold to Cardinal Arnaud d'Aux, himself a native of the village and at that time experiencing a brilliant acclesiastical and political carrer.
Le Cardinal Arnaud d'Aux (1270-1321) :
The cardinal is thought to have been born between 1260 and 1270 to the local nobility of the land of Montpellier on the border of LA ROMIEU. Having previously studied in Agen, he studied law first at Orléans and then at Bologne where he became a close friend of his relative Bertrand De Got who later became Pope Clément V.
When his parents died in 1291, Arnaud d'Aux chose an ecclesiastical career and was made a Canon in Coutances. This appointment soon led him to Bordeaux where he became Vicar General to his relative, Archbishop Bertrand de Got. In 1305 Arnaud d'Aux attented the coronation of the Gascony Pope at Lyon and was consequently entrusted with a diplomatic mission to the Court of France. As a result he was appointed to the Bishopric of Poitiers on the 3rd May 1309. Two years later he became Chamberlain first to Pope Clément V and then to Pope Jean XXII which position he held until 1319. He died in 1321.
It is understandable that this fortunate man of Gascony should wish to leave some lasting memorial to his illstrious career. As had other Cardinals of Avignon before him, he decided to build a fondation in his village.
Foundation of the Collegiate Church of LA ROMIEU :
In 1312 Arnaud d'Aux bought a piece of land from the magistrates and inhabitants of LA ROMIEU. The land was beside the town moat, which he also bought, drained and dug another a little further away. In order to avoid any conflict with the Benedictine monks of St Victor of Marseille, he paid 2000 florins to have them leave the place, the money being deposited with three Florentine merchants living in Marseille. The arrangement was authorised by Pope Jean XXII in a Papal Bull dated 22nd November 1317, in which Notre Dame de LA ROMIEU was deconsecrated, all spiritual and temporal rights being conferred upon Church of St Pierre, founded by the Cardinal.
Once the land had been cleared, Arnaud d'Aux began to build a palace both for his personal use and for the use of a college of Canons. At that time, Canons were often given the privilege of using new religious foundations. A Collegiate Church, more so than a Monastery, allowed the founder and his heirs to exercise profitable rights of patronage.
To had distinction to the divine service of his new collegiate church, Arnaud d'Aux adorned it sumptuously in great detail : a huge silver cross, vermilion and silver chalices, hymn books, bells and, enclosed in 14 silver reliquaries, many relics given by Pope Jean XXII. Amongst these holy treasures were : the remains of St Innocents, a fragment from the foot of St Peter, a fragment of the jaw of St Etienne, the tip of a finger of St George, an arm of St Timothy and another of Ste Cecile, also a piece of the cross of the good thief.
The later history of the foundation of Arnaud d'Aux was marred by the destruction wreaked by the Protestants in 1569. Having taking CONDOM, the terrible Montgomery marched to the walls of LA ROMIEU, seized the town and plundered it. The collegial and the church of Notre Dame (which had become a parish church) were devastated. The Protestants took away the silver chalices, smashed the statues, the bas-reliefs and the tombs of the family d'Aux and burned a number of priests.
The revolution having caused the disappearance of the chapter, the inhabitants of LA ROMIEU then chose the church of St Pierre as the parochial church. This dcision prompted the destruction of the parochial church of Notre Dame, wich wascondemned as being to small and unsafe with cracks in the walls.
Office de tourisme de La Romieu
Adresse : Rue du docteur Lucante - 32480 La Romieu
Tel/Fax :+33(0)05 62 28 86 33
Contact : la-romieu.i@wanadoo.fr
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