The name ‘La Romieu’ appears for the first time in old documents dated in 1082. Arnaud d’Aux was born in this little village in Gascony in 1265 and later became cardinal in 1312. To honour his birth region he ordered the construction of this Collegiale de La Romieu. In the village you will find many sculptures of cats in honour of Angeline and the Legend of the Cats.
As a result, on the pilgrimage route to St-Jacques de Compostelle in 1318 an abbey with a church, two towers and a court were constructed in gothic style. One of the towers is an octoganal completely closed structure. The other tower is a much more square-shaped open structure carrying the chruch bells. In the church which is beautifully restored, there are unique frescos with esoteric motives and black angels on display for the public. The tiled floor is still in its original state. The entire complex which is now protected by Unesco is very well preserved and can be visited almost entirely.
There is also a large botanic garden spanning some 6ha. These gardens feature an arboretum, an English garden and an area dedicated to medicinal plants.