La Romieu – View of La Romieu loop from La Romieu

02:01

23.7km

420m

Mountain biking

Moderate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Advanced riding skills necessary. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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92 m

Cloister of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre in La Romieu

Highlight • Religious Site

The name 'La Romieu' first appears in writings in 1082. Arnaud d'Aux was born in this village in 1265 and was made cardinal in 1312. He had the Collegiale de La Romieu built for his native region.

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117 m

La Romieu

Highlight • Settlement

Don't miss La Romieu to greet Angeline and the cats. I didn't see any, at least not alive ones. I didn't stop there either. To get there, I took the 6 km road; you can also get there via the GR (Greater French National Trail). Its Saint-Pierre collegiate church, a 14th-century Gothic masterpiece listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is imposing.

Now for the legend... Around 1342, a terrible famine struck La Romieu. The starving inhabitants went so far as to eat all the cats in the village, thinking they were preserving their meager resources.
But a little girl named Angeline, an orphan taken in by a local couple, adored cats. She hid two in the cellar, secretly feeding them, and then they bred. A little later, with all the cats gone, the village was invaded by thousands of rats, destroying the meager grain reserves and causing an even worse disaster.
It was then that Angeline freed her cats. They multiplied again, drove out the rats, and saved the village.
Angeline was honored by the villagers, and according to legend, her face took on the appearance of a cat, with feline features—a magical transformation to thank her love and loyalty to cats.
Today, in tribute to this story, numerous cat statues adorn the streets, facades, and rooftops of the village.

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23.2 km

View of La Romieu

Highlight • Settlement

The village takes its name from the Gascon language. Roumiou indeed means pilgrim. The village was founded at the end of the 11th century by a German monk named Albert, returning from a pilgrimage to Rome.

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