Collégiale Saint-Pierre, La Romieu, Gothic church in La Romieu, France.

The Collégiale Saint-Pierre in La Romieu comprises a cloister, a church, two towers and the remains of an old palace. Its long, tall nave has four bays and is flanked by a square bell tower and an octagonal tower that holds, from bottom to top, the sacristy, the former chapter house, the archive room and a belvedere. The sacristy vault paintings show angels and musician angels, while medallion murals depict apostles, saints and bishops.

A priory was founded at La Romieu by two monks who, by tradition, were returning from a pilgrimage to Rome, which gave the village its name. In 1312 Cardinal Arnaud d'Aux, a native of La Romieu and a relative of Pope Clement V, bought the priory to establish the collegiate church there; he served as chamberlain of the papal court. La Romieu stood on the Via Podiensis where the Camino de Auvernia joined it, and pilgrims who had walked over 600 km gathered there.

The name La Romieu comes from the tradition that two monks returning from a pilgrimage to Rome founded the priory here. The site stood on the Via Podiensis where the Auvergne route joined it, so pilgrims who had walked over 600 km converged at La Romieu before continuing to Santiago de Compostela.

The site is best explored on foot, allowing visitors to observe the cloister and towers up close. The interior of the church is accessible, letting you experience the Gothic details and architectural structure firsthand.

La Romieu lay where the Via Podiensis met the Auvergne route, a variant of the Limousin road that branched at Nevers toward Clermont. Pilgrims who had walked more than 600 km converged here before continuing to Compostela.