Saint-Georges-de-Baroille: Hiking, Chapel and Pottery History

Saint-Georges-de-Baroille offers several specific points of interest for a stay: the Chapelle de Baroille, its former pottery tradition and the Le Bois des Ardilliers circular hiking trail. If you are looking for a hotel for your trip, you can base your choice on whether you would rather focus on the area’s religious history, local crafts or a hike.

Hiking in the Bois des Ardilliers

The Le Bois des Ardilliers circular hiking trail passes through an oak forest characteristic of the Forez plain. 59 percent of its paths are unpaved. The proportion of unpaved paths is a useful point of reference if you choose walks based on their surface or want to factor the route into your stay. On the return to Saint-Georges-de-Baroille, the trail first follows the Aix and then the Loire. The order of the two rivers gives the return route a clear sequence; together with the oak forest, it shapes the landscape described along the hike.

In the Le Bois des Ardilliers area, temporary ponds and wet ditches provide habitats for species such as the palmate newt and the agile frog. The trail can therefore be described not only by its oak woodland and river sections, but also by these small wetland habitats. For nature enthusiasts, the two amphibian species are a specific indication of the wildlife associated with the trail.

Chapelle de Baroille and pilgrimage

The Chapelle de Baroille was once the parish’s principal church. After it was partly destroyed, the present-day chapel was rebuilt around 1850. It is now closed, but the surrounding garden is open to visitors all year round. If you plan to visit the garden during your stay, check the access conditions before setting out.

A pilgrimage to Notre-Dame de Baroille took place every year on September 8 from the 12th century onwards. It continued until 1952 and resumed in 1997. A 12th-century polychrome, relief-decorated lead statue of the Virgin of Baroille is also part of the area’s religious history: it was sold to the Louvre and exhibited in the Pavillon Richelieu.

The pottery tradition

The history of pottery is connected to the local clay deposits. Around 25 pottery workshops once operated along the deposits. They made household items such as pots, plates, milk pans and bowls. Clay of different local colours was also layered to create highly decorative-looking vases. The tradition thus ranged from everyday objects to decorative pieces, with the differently coloured clays serving as both raw material and a means of decoration. The local raw material and how it was worked offer a distinct way to explore the past, separate from the chapel’s religious history and the pilgrimage.

The Viaduc de Chessieux

The Viaduc de Chessieux adds a structure with clearly defined proportions to the religious and craft-related points of interest. It is S-shaped, 272.7 metres long and 27.4 metres high. Twelve round-arched openings divide it; each has a span of 20 metres. The S-shape describes the overall course, while the arches divide the structure into a sequence of repeated openings. This makes it possible to observe both the overall form and the sequence of individual arches.

Discover more destinations: Aboën, Saint-Michel-Sur-Rhône, La Pacaudière, Fontanès, Marcenod, Saint-Rirand, Nervieux, Saint-Marcel-De-Félines

For the regional travel overview: Loire.