Saint-Romain-la-Motte: Trails, Pilgrim Route and Heritage

Saint-Romain-la-Motte offers local hiking trails, sections of the Way of St James and historic buildings. If you are looking for a hotel for a trip to Saint-Romain-la-Motte, these themes can help you choose the focus of your stay: hiking, religious architecture or local history.

Hiking Trails and Scenery

The municipal offering “Les balades colorées” comprises five circular hiking trails. All of them start and finish in the church square. A 3.5 km hiking trail begins behind the post office and also ends in the church square. The two route descriptions offer different points of reference for planning: the five circular trails with their shared starting point, and a route with a stated distance and starting point.

The “N°13 – du Gamay à la Côte” route passes through the landscapes of the Roannaise plain, with rivers, ponds and bocage hedgerows. Along the way, it passes near the Château de Boisy.

Pilgrim Routes and Longer Stages

The Way of St James reaches Saint-Romain-la-Motte at the hamlet of La Brosse. After crossing the village, it continues via Béchevet and Senouche towards Saint-Haon-le-Châtel. Another signposted hiking stage is the GR®765 from Saint-Romain-la-Motte to Saint-Alban-les-Eaux: it is 17.5 km long and signposted for walkers. This stated distance offers a concrete comparison with the 3.5 km hiking trail; the routes have different endpoints and are not the same walk.

Church and Local History

The Église de Saint-Romain-la-Motte is open to visitors wishing to discover its architecture and history. A staircase with 102 steps leads to a 24-metre-high viewpoint, offering a panorama of the Roannais basin and the Monts de la Madeleine. The church also houses the 18th-century painting “le Christ au roseau”. It was added to the Inventory of Historic Monuments on 25 April 1961. Check local access conditions before your visit.

The history of the former church of Mareuil also goes back a long way: it was under the jurisdiction of Cluny and was dedicated to Saint Peter in 995. The Château de Vaux was built in the first half of the 16th century. Around 1590, Henri d’Apchon turned the château into a fortress. A pointed-arch portal and a stone window with tracery or mullions remain at the entrance.

The Haute-Maison chapel is an octagonal building made of dressed stone, with a small apse and a white marble altar. Decorations on the pinnacles and the domed roof topped by a bell turret define its architecture. A door behind the apse leads to a crypt beneath the chapel.

Winegrowing and Historic Buildings

The name Gamay de St Romain connects the village with the Gamay grape variety: it adapted well to the soils of Saint-Romain, and the village gave it this name. The Trébande area also reflects the region’s former winegrowing character. In the Middle Ages, it was mainly covered with vineyards, whose produce went to the Benedictine abbey of Ambierle.

Another testament to local history is the Four à chaux de Senouche. Built at a late date, the lime kiln is thought to have been operated for only a short time; it ceased operating during the 1914 war. Its structure includes granite masonry, an entrance spanned by a brick vault, an access ramp and an oval firing chamber lined with bricks. The Musée Joseph Déchelette in Roanne also exhibits Bronze Age objects from Saint-Romain-la-Motte (Mareuil).

Planning Your Stay

The municipal pilgrim hostel can accommodate up to three people for a maximum of one night. If this limited accommodation option could suit your trip, confirm its capacity and maximum stay with the municipality in advance.

Discover more destinations: Juré, Saint-Cyprien, La Terrasse-Sur-Dorlay, Le Cergne, Saint-Romain-D'urfé, Doizieux, Roanne, Villars.

View the broader travel overview: Loire.