Ruoms

A charming Medieval village founded
in the 10th century.

The name of ‘Ruoms’ first made its appearance in 1464. It is Celtic in origin, and is derived from ‘Ritomagus’ (the field of the ford), the village being founded near the Ardèche river, which could be forded at that point. Official records relating to Ruoms date from the 10th century, around the time of the Priory’s foundation, but archaeological digs in the caves of Peyroche and Beaume-Granas and the presence of numerous dolmens (megalithic tombs) demonstrate that the area has been inhabited for a very long time. Both Ruoms’ town walls with their 7 round towers and the Romanesque church, the Chapelle Notre Dame des Pommiers, were constructed between the 10th and 12th centuries. The local area has many quarries, which were worked as recently as 50 years ago. The limestone found there was used in many buildings and civil engineering projects.

Ruoms was also at one time a small industrial centre thanks to its breweries, which closed in 1967. Nowadays, beer has given way to wine. Ruoms is the location for the biggest wine-growers’ cooperative in the Ardèche: les Vignerons ardéchois

Sights:

• The medieval village and its surrounding walls
• The Musée Vinimage: Wine museum.
• The Défilés scenic route: this road was carved out of the rock face in the 19th century and offers magnificent views over limestone cliffs. Starting with a succession of awe-inspiring tunnels and archways, the road then winds through a deep gorge directly above the Ardèche, then the Ligne rivers.
• The main shopping street
• The Market: Friday morning, all year round
• The evening market: Wednesday evenings in July and August

Ruoms: The Medieval town

Self-guided tour of Ruoms’ old town: the interpretive signs correspond to the numbers below

1 Porte Place Colonel Tourre (The Place Colonel Tourre gate)

2 Maison dite du Notaire Royal (The house known as the Royal Notary’s House)

3 Ruelles et maisons médiévales (Medieval alleys and houses)

4 Maison dite des Gardes et salles d’armes – Fresque de St Christophe (The house known as the Guards’ House and Armoury – the Fresco of St Christopher)

5 Maison de la Justice (The old prison)

6 Maison du Baron (The Baron’s house)

7 Porte St Roch (The St Roch gate)

8 Eglise Romane St Pierre (The Romanesque church of St Peter)

9 Chapelle ND des Pommiers (The chapel of Our Lady of the apple trees - exhibitions in July and August)

10 Fouilles de sauvetage (Rescue excavations)

11 Fenêtres de la rue Jeanne d’Arc (Windows on rue Jeanne d’Arc)

12 Rue des Tournelles, les remparts. (Rue des Tournelles, the town walls)