Saint-Omer

Coordinates: 50°44′46″N 2°15′42″E / 50.7461°N 2.2617°E / 50.7461; 2.2617
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Saint Omer (disambiguation).

Saint-Omer
Saint-Onmé (Picard)
Sint-Omaars
Subprefecture and commune
The theatre « le moulin à café » (the coffee grinder)
The theatre « le moulin à café » (the coffee grinder)
Coat of arms of Saint-Omer
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Omer
Map
Saint-Omer is located in France
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer is located in Hauts-de-France
Saint-Omer
Saint-Omer
Coordinates: 50°44′46″N 2°15′42″E / 50.7461°N 2.2617°E / 50.7461; 2.2617
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentPas-de-Calais
ArrondissementSaint-Omer
CantonSaint-Omer
IntercommunalityCA Pays de Saint-Omer
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) François Decoster[1]
Area
1
16.4 km2 (6.3 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
14,358
 • Density880/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
62765 /62500
Elevation0–27 m (0–89 ft)
(avg. 6 m or 20 ft)
Websitewww.ville-saint-omer.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-Omer (French pronunciation:

West Flemish: Sint-Omaars; Picard: Saint-Onmé) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.[3]

It is 68 km (42 mi) west-northwest of

Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area.[4]

The canalised section of the river Aa begins at Saint-Omer, reaching the North Sea at Gravelines in northern France. Below its walls, the Aa connects with the Neufossé Canal, which ends at the river Lys.

History

Saint-Omer first appeared in the writings during the 7th century under the name of Sithiu (Sithieu or Sitdiu), around the Saint-Bertin abbey founded on the initiative of Audomar, (Odemaars or Omer).

Omer, bishop of Thérouanne, in the 7th century established the Abbey of Saint Bertin, from which that of Notre-Dame was an offshoot.[5] Rivalry and dissension, which lasted till the French Revolution, soon sprang up between the two monasteries, becoming especially virulent when in 1559 St Omer became a bishopric
and Notre-Dame was raised to the rank of cathedral.

In the 9th century, the village that grew up round the monasteries took the name of St Omer. The Vikings laid the place to waste about 860 and 880. Ten years later the town and monastery had built fortified walls and were safe from their attack. Situated on the borders of territories frequently disputed by French, Flemish, English and Spaniards, St Omer for most of its history continued to be subject to sieges and military invasions.

In 932

Robert the Frisian
, who subsequently became the Count of Flanders until his death in 1093.

Along with its textile industry, St-Omer throve in the 12th and 13th century. In 1127 the town received a communal charter from the count,

Emperor Otto IV and John, King of England, he battled Philip II at Bouvines
, but was defeated. Despite the political separation for the next 170 years, the city remained part of the economic network of Flanders.

In 1340 a

Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy, in which the Anglo-Flemish force was forced to withdraw. From 1384, St-Omer was part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 to 1678 of the Spanish Netherlands
.

The French made futile attempts against the town between 1551 and 1596. During the

Louis XIV forced the town to capitulate. The peace of Nijmegen signed in the fall of 1678 permanently confirmed the conquest and its annexation by France.[6] In 1711, St-Omer was besieged by the Duke of Marlborough. With the town on the verge of surrendering because of famine
, Jacqueline Robin risked her life to bring provisions into the town, in memory of which in 1884 a large statue of her was erected in front of the cathedral.

The

John Carroll, his brother Daniel and his cousin Charles
.

During

No. IX Squadron RAF which was formed at Saint-Omer, 14 December 1914[8] and No. 16 Squadron RAF which was formed on 10 February 1915.[9]

During World War II, the

RAF's legless Battle of Britain ace, Douglas Bader, parachuted from his Spitfire during an aerial battle over France, he was initially treated at a Luftwaffe hospital at Saint-Omer. He had lost an artificial leg when bailing out,[10]
and the RAF dropped him another one during a bombing raid.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 18,205—    
1975 16,932−1.03%
1982 15,415−1.33%
1990 14,434−0.82%
1999 15,747+0.97%
2007 14,848−0.73%
2012 13,881−1.34%
2017 14,782+1.27%
Source: INSEE[11]

Main sites

Cathedral

The

harbours
outside the city and another within its limits. Saint-Omer has wide streets and spacious squares.

19th century Cavaillé-Coll organ in the cathedral

The old

stained-glass
windows. The cathedral has a huge Cavaillé-Coll organ, which is still playable.

Main square and theater (the old town hall)
Saint-Omer College
English chapel

A collection of records, a picture gallery, and a

English College, founded by the English Jesuits in 1593. It is now part of the Lycée Alexandre Ribot
. Besides the Lycée, there are schools of music and of art.

The old episcopal palace adjoining the cathedral is used as a court-house. Saint-Omer is the seat of a court of assizes and tribunals, of a chamber of commerce, and of a board of trade arbitration.

Until 1942, the chief statue in the town was that of Jacqueline Robin, who, according to the mythology, had helped the town resist a siege by Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1711. However, the statue disappeared during the German occupation, taken to be melted down.[12] Today, the remaining statues of people associated with the city:

  • L'abbé Suger[13]
  • Pierre Alexandre Monsigny[14]
  • Prince Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans[15]

Economy

Over the better part of the last century, the economy of Saint Omer had depended largely on one enterprise, that of the glass maker

Arc International[16] (situated in the neighbouring town of Arques). The economy of Saint Omer has diversified over the course of the past 50 years.[17]
Aside from the glass works at Arc International, major employers in the area include:

The creation of new enterprises has seen a steady growth[18] in the past 10 years with 2 147 enterprises as of 2020.[19] In the town itself, there are a number of retail shops and services, as well as a large selection of restaurants, brasseries and cafés.

Historically, the economy of Saint Omer had also developed in the wetlands outside the city, known locally as le marais, which remains one of the last cultivated marais in France. The Marais Audomarois is currently listed as a UNESCO heritage site.[20] The agricultural output from this area continues year-round, thanks to the mild climate and fertile soil. Among the specialties, cauliflower is a notable product and is exported throughout Europe.[21] Other crops for which the area is known are carrots,[22] endive, and watercress.[23]

Nearby areas

At the end of the marshes, on the borders of the forest of Clairmarais, are the ruins of the abbey founded in 1140 by

Thierry of Alsace. Thomas Becket sought refuge here in 1165. To the south of Saint-Omer, on a hill commanding the Aa, lies the camp of Helfaut
, often called the camp of Saint-Omer.

On the Canal de Neufossé, near the town, is the

lock
.

During the

Second World War, the area was chosen as a launch site for the V-2 rocket. The nearby blockhouse at Éperlecques and underground complex of La Coupole
were built for this purpose and are open to the public.

Culture

Saint-Omer is diverse in ethnic, linguistic and immigrant communities. Haut-Pont is a heavily West Flemish section of Saint-Omer which has Flemish/Belgian roots.

Greek Orthodox or of ethnic Greek origin, Eastern Rite and Catholic converts), who arrived in France after World War I to escape religious persecution. Genealogists have noted the many cultural influences in the area, including British, Dutch, German, Austrian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak and Polish. It is believed the region's mining and glass manufacturing[25]
industries contributed to a revived post-war (WWI and WWII era) population.

Public library

The

Saint-Omer College, a Jesuit institution.[28] Confirmation of its authenticity came from a professor at the University of Nevada and one of the world's foremost authorities on Shakespeare, Eric Rasmussen, who happened to be in London at the time.[29] The only other known copy of a First Folio in France is in the National Library in Paris.[30]

Sports

St. Omer was the host of the 2022

Canoe Polo
world championships.

Notable people

  • Omer, ou Audomarus ou Audemer[citation needed] (600 – † 670), monk, named bishop of Therouanne, canonised under the name of Saint Omer
  • Lambert (late 11th – early 11th century), canon of Saint-Omer, author of the Liber floridus
  • Godfrey de Saint-Omer, founding member of the Knights Templar in 1118[31]
  • Charles Blondin (28 February 1824 – 22 February 1897), tightrope walker and acrobat
  • Hippolyte Carnot (1801–1888), statesman
  • Antoine Davion (c. 1664–1726), Mississippi missionary, 1698–1725
  • Joseph Liouville (1809–1882), mathematician
  • Robert Parsons (1546–1610), Jesuit founder of the English Jesuit College of Saint-Omer[32]
  • Jean Titelouze (c. 1562/3–1633), organist and composer, first composer of the French organ school
  • Claude Dausque (1566–1644), humanist, scholar and canon of Tournai, considered one of the most erudite men of his time
  • Françoise de Saint-Omer [fr] (1581–1642), founder of the religious order of reformed Capucins
  • Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny (1729–1817), composer
  • Daniel Carroll (22 July 1730 in Upper Marlboro – 4 May 1796 in Rock Creek, Maryland), one of the founders of the United States; he was one of the only Catholics to sign the Constitution of the United States. He had studied at the English Jesuit College of Saint Omer.
  • John Carroll
    (born 8 January 1735 in Upper Marlboro, England – 3 December 1815 in Baltimore), an American Jesuit priest who had studied at the English Jesuit College in Saint Omer. He was the 1st bishop in the United States (the diocese of Baltimore) and he founded Georgetown University.
  • Charles Carroll of Carrollton (19 September 1737 – 14 November 1832), delegate to the Continental Congress, senator from Maryland. He was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence. Like his cousins, he also studied at the Jesuit College in Saint Omer.
  • Albert Louis Valentin Taviel [fr] (1767–1831), born in Saint-Omer, died in Paris, he was a general of the French Revolution and of the Empire.
  • Pierre Alexandre Joseph Allent (1772–1837), born in Saint Omer, he was a general of the French Revolution and of the Empire.
  • Martin Charles Gobrecht [fr] (1772–1845), born in Cassel (Flanders) and died in Saint-Omer, he was a general of the French Revolution and of the Empire.
  • Eustache-Louis-Joseph Toulotte [fr] (1773–1860), French revolutionary and writer
  • Eugène Casimir Lebreton [fr] (1791–1876), born in Saint Omer, he served in the French army under the 1st Empire and later became a politician.
  • Joseph Bienaimé Caventou (born 1795 in Saint-Omer, died 1887 in Paris), chemist, pharmacist, co-discoverer of quinine
  • Émile Lefranc (27 August 1798 – 18..), born in Saint-Omer. Historian, geographer and author of school books. He was an associate professor at the university and also translated from ancient Greek into French and wrote in Latin.
  • Lazare Hippolyte Carnot (6 April 1801 – 16 March 1888 in Paris), French politician, born in Saint-Omer.
  • Louis Noël (9 February 1807 in Saint-Pierre-lez-Calais – 18 February 1875 in Saint-Omer), sculptor
  • Alfred Frédéric Philippe Auguste Napoléon Ameil [fr] (8 November 1807 – 27 March 1886 in Versailles), major general in the French army, born in Saint-Omer.
  • Louis Martel (politician) [fr] (13 September 1813 in Saint-Omer – 4 March 1892 in Évreux), president of the Senate in France, minsute of Justice
  • Louis-François-Joseph Deschamps de Pas (25 June 1816 in Saint-Omer – 1 March 1890 in the same city), engineer and archaeologist. He published several important works concerning the archaeology in and around Saint Omer.
  • François Chifflart (25 March 1825 in Saint-Omer – 19 March 1901 in Paris), painter, illustrator and etcher
  • Alphonse de Neuville (31 May 1836 – 18 May 1885), painter. He was a student of Delacroix.
  • prime minister
  • Tanguy Malmanche (7 September 1875 – 20 March 1953), French writer involved in the revival of Breton culture
  • Éric Morena (27 October 1951 – 16 November 2019)[1], French singer. He was born in Saint-Omer and was made famous by his 1987 hit "Oh ! Mon bateau".
  • Raoul Castex (27 October 1878 in Saint-Omer – 10 January 1968 in Villeneuve-de-Rivière), French Navy admiral and a military theorist. Founder of the IHEDN (Institut des hautes études de défense nationale).
  • Germaine Acremant (1889–1986), writer, notable for her work Ces dames aux chapeaux vert
  • Robert Ficheux (ro) (1898–2005), French historian and geographer, born in Saint-Omer. Les Palmes Académiques (17 October 1998).
  • Jean-Pierre Évrard [fr], photographer, born in 1936 in Saint Omer, whose works ar notable for being exclusively in black and white[33] on paper
  • Max Méreaux, composer, born in Saint Omer in 1946[34]

Twin towns

Saint Omer is

twinned
with:

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
  3. ^ INSEE commune file
  4. ^ "THE LIVES OF THE FATHERS, MARTYRS, AND OTHER PRINCIPAL SAINTS - ST. OMER, B. C." www.ecatholic2000.com.
  5. ^ "St Omer". www.informationfrance.com. 24 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Treaties of Nijmegen | European history | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
  7. ^ "College of Saint Omer - Encyclopedia Volume - Catholic Encyclopedia". Catholic Online.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "RAF - 16 Squadron". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  10. ^ World War II. Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader militaryhistory.about.com [dead link‍]
  11. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  12. ^ "Monument à Jacqueline Robins – Saint-Omer (Fondu) | E-monumen". 7 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Statue of Suger".
  14. ^ "Monument Pierre Monsigny, ville de Saint-Omer". statuesmonumentsnpdc.pagesperso-orange.fr.
  15. ^ "La statue du duc d'Orléans à Saint Omer". le-courrier-royal.com. 16 March 2013.
  16. ^ "Arc, un groupe international à Arques (62) France". Arc. 20 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Saint-Omar" (PDF). aud-stomer.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Entreprises à Saint Omer (62500)". entreprises.lefigaro.fr.
  19. ^ "Entreprises à Saint Omer (62500)". entreprises.lefigaro.fr. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Marais Audomarois | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org.
  21. ^ "LE CHOU-FLEUR DE SAINT-OMER". nord-decouverte.fr. 3 June 2016.
  22. ^ "LA CAROTTE DE TILQUES | La géante de l'Audomarois". nord-decouverte.fr. 6 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Les légumes du marais audomarois". lesfaiseursdebateaux.fr. 24 March 2020.
  24. ^ "Normandy". www.france.fr.
  25. ^ "The History of Arques".
  26. ^ Document sans titre Archived 2006-11-25 at the Wayback Machine www.bibliotheque-st-omer.fr
  27. ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (25 November 2014). "Shakespeare Folio Discovered in France". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  28. ^ "BBC News - Shakespeare Folio found in French library". BBC News. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  29. ^ Shakespeare Folio found in French library, 26 November 2014 (with video and images)
  30. ^ Rory Mulholland in Paris (25 November 2014). "Shakespeare First Folio discovered in French library". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  31. OCLC 26807179
    .
  32. S2CID 194448630
    – via SAGE Journals.
  33. ^ "Jean-Pierre Evrard Photographe". www.jp-evrardfoto.com.
  34. ^ "Max Méreaux". www.musimem.com.
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