Discover Saint-Romain-de-Surieu

Saint-Romain-de-Surieu can be explored through several distinct highlights: Carmel Notre-Dame de Surieu, the Way of St. James on the GR 65, historic buildings and products from Ferme de la Limone. This lets you tailor your stay to spiritual, hiking, architectural or culinary interests. When planning, it is worth distinguishing the two routes described by their length and stated duration.

Carmel and a spiritual stay

Carmel Notre-Dame de Surieu is a contemplative community on Surieu hill, where 14 Carmelite nuns live. The chapel is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; prayer times and the Eucharist are open to visitors. Visitors can take part in a spiritual retreat lasting several days. A multi-day retreat is a different experience from a short visit to the chapel. If you are planning a chapel visit, check the latest visitor information; if you are considering a retreat, allow several days for it.

The Way of St. James and Le Donjon: two routes

The Way of St. James on the GR 65 runs from Pommier de Beaurepaire through Saint-Romain-de-Surieu to Clonas-sur-Varèze. One section runs from Saint-Romain-de-Surieu to Assieu: it is 5 kilometres long and takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Keep this approximate time in mind as a guide when planning.

Le Donjon is a 13.3-kilometre route around Ville-sous-Anjou and Saint-Romain-de-Surieu. It can be used for hiking, mountain biking and horse riding; all three options are rated easy and each is listed as taking 4 hours. Compared with the 5-kilometre GR 65 section, Le Donjon is the longer option; it also offers a choice of three ways to get around. This lets you consider route length, approximate duration and activity separately, rather than treating the two options as equivalent tours.

The keep and the priory church

The keep, also known as the Tour de Surieu, is a structure dating from the 11th century. It is 12 metres high, and its walls are 1.8 metres thick. These measurements give a concrete sense of the building’s scale. Note the similar names: Le Donjon also refers to the 13.3-kilometre route, while Donjon, or Tour de Surieu, refers to the historic structure.

The priory church of Saint-Romain dates from the 10th or 11th century. Its features include a very low square bell tower, chancel columns with capitals, and a stone with an interlaced relief. For the keep, the key features are its height, wall thickness and date; for the church, they are the bell tower, chancel and relief. The two buildings are therefore distinguished by the architectural details that characterize them.

Products from Ferme de la Limone

Ferme de la Limone produces organic cheese made from raw cow’s milk, either plain or flavoured with herbs. Its other products include fromage blanc and meat from calves raised on the farm. The products are sold directly from the farm and through a communal outlet. For the cheeses, the raw-milk description refers to their base; they are available plain or flavoured with herbs. Fromage blanc and veal complement the selection with other dairy and meat products.

Discover more destinations: Sillans, Chirens, Bilieu, Vaulx-Milieu, Sassenage, Saint-Étienne-De-Crossey, Vaulnaveys-Le-Bas, Saint-Egrève

For the full travel overview: Isere.