Subprefecture and commune in Hauts-de-France, France
Subprefecture in Hauts-de-France, France
Soissons
(
French pronunciation:
[swas??]
) is a
commune
in the northern French
department
of
Aisne
, in the
region
of
Hauts-de-France
. Located on the river
Aisne
, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of
Paris
, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the
Suessiones
. Soissons is also the see of an ancient Roman Catholic
diocese
, whose establishment dates from about 300, and it was the location of a number of
church
synods
called "
Council of Soissons
".
History
[
edit
]
Soissons enters
written history
under its
Celtic
name, later borrowed into
Latin
,
Noviodunum
, meaning "new hillfort", which was the capital of the
Suessiones
. At
Roman
contact, it was a town of the
Suessiones
, mentioned by
Julius Caesar
(
B. G.
ii. 12). Caesar (
B.C.
57), after leaving the Axona (modern
Aisne
), entered the territory of the Suessiones, and making one day's long march, reached Noviodunum, which was surrounded by a high wall and a broad ditch. The place surrendered to Caesar.
From 457 to 486, under
Aegidius
and his son
Syagrius
, Noviodunum was the capital of the
Kingdom of Soissons
,
[3]
until it fell to the
Frankish
king
Clovis I
in 486 after the
Battle of Soissons
.
Part of the Frankish territory of
Neustria
, the Soissons region, and the
Abbey of Saint-Medard
, founded in the sixth century, played an important political part during the rule of the
Merovingian dynasty
(447?751). After the death of
Clovis I
in 511, Soissons was made the capital of one of the four kingdoms into which his states were divided. Eventually, the kingdom of Soissons disappeared in 613 when the Frankish lands were amalgamated under
Chlothar II
.
The 744
Council of Soissons
met at the instigation of
Pepin the Short
and
Saint Boniface
, the Pope's missionary to pagan Germany, secured the condemnation of the Frankish bishop
Adalbert
and the missionary
Clement of Ireland
.
[4]
During the
Hundred Years' War
, French forces committed a notorious massacre of English archers stationed at the town's garrison, in which many of the French townsfolk were themselves raped and killed.
[5]
The massacre of French citizens by French soldiers shocked Europe; Henry V of England, noting that the town of Soissons was dedicated to the saints
Crispin and Crispinian
, claimed to avenge the honour of the saints when he met the French forces at the
Battle of Agincourt
on
Saint Crispin's Day
1415. The town was liberated by French troops under the command of
Joan of Arc
on 23 July 1429.
Between June 1728 and July 1729 it hosted the
Congress of Soissons
an attempt to resolve a long-standing series of disputes between the
Kingdom of Great Britain
and
Spain
which had spilled over into the
Anglo-Spanish War of 1727?1729
. The Congress was largely successful and led to the signing of the
Treaty of Seville
between them.
During
World War I
, the city came under heavy bombardment. There was mutiny after the disastrous
Chemin des Dames
offensive at the
Second Battle of the Aisne
. A statue erected with images of French soldiers killed in action in 1917 is behind the St Peter's Church, next to the Soissons Courthouse.
Sights
[
edit
]
Today, Soissons is a commercial and manufacturing centre with the 12th century
Soissons Cathedral
, the ruins of
St. Jean des Vignes Abbey
and the crypt of the former abbey of Saint-Medard as three of its most important historical sites. The nearby
Espace Pierres Folles
contains a museum, geological trail, and
botanical garden
.
Landmarks
[
edit
]
- Cathedrale Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais de Soissons is constructed in the style of
Gothic architecture
. The building of the south transept was begun about 1177, and the lowest courses of the choir in 1182. The choir with its original three-storey elevation and extremely tall clerestory was completed in 1211. This was earlier than
Chartres
, on which the design was supposed to have been based. Work then continued into the nave until the late 13th century.
[6]
- Abbey of Notre Dame ? The former abbey of Notre Dame, former royal abbey, founded in the Merovingian era, known for its rich treasure of relics, including the "shoe of the Virgin." The abbey had prestigious abbesses, among them Gisele, sister of Charlemagne, and Catherine de Bourbon, aunt of Henry IV.
- Saint-Medard Abbey ? The
Saint-Medard Abbey
was a
Benedictine
monastery of Soissons whose foundation went back to the sixth century. Today, only the crypt remains.
- Hotel de ville ? Since 1833 the city hall has been housed in a chateau built by architect Jean-Francois Advyne between 1772 and 1775 at the request of the Intendant Pelletier Mortefontaine on the site of a previous one belonging to the
counts of Soissons
.
- Arsenal ? Exhibition space in the arsenal of the former
Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes
- Passerelle des Anglais ? The "Passerelle des Anglais" (literally: "Footbridge of the English") is a concrete footbridge over the Aisne in the center of the city. The original bridge was destroyed in 1914. It was rebuilt by British soldiers of
9th Field Company Royal Engineers
, after which it was known as the "Pont des Anglais" ("Bridge of the English"). Destroyed again during
World War II
, it was rebuilt in 1950 as a pedestrian bridge.
- The covered market ? Built in 1908 by architect
Albert-Desire Guilbert
(1866?1949)
Personalities
[
edit
]
- The actress
Aurore Clement
was born in Soissons in 1945.
- The artist
Emmanuel Fillion
was born in Soissons in 1966.
- The rabbinic writer Shemaiah of Sossoines (11th century), one of the prime disciples of
Rashi
.
- The saints
Crispin and Crispinian
were martyred c. 286 at Soissons for preaching Christianity to the local Gauls.
- The 6th century
Burgundian
king
Guntram
was born in Soissons around 532.
- Jeanne Macherez
(1852?1930), heroine during World War I; Mayor of Soissons
Population
[
edit
]
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±% p.a.
|
---|
1793
| 7,675
| ?
|
---|
1800
| 7,229
| ?0.85%
|
---|
1806
| 8,126
| +1.97%
|
---|
1821
| 7,765
| ?0.30%
|
---|
1831
| 8,149
| +0.48%
|
---|
1836
| 8,424
| +0.67%
|
---|
1841
| 9,152
| +1.67%
|
---|
1846
| 10,143
| +2.08%
|
---|
1851
| 9,477
| ?1.35%
|
---|
1856
| 7,875
| ?3.64%
|
---|
1861
| 10,208
| +5.33%
|
---|
1866
| 11,099
| +1.69%
|
---|
1872
| 10,404
| ?1.07%
|
---|
1876
| 11,089
| +1.61%
|
---|
1881
| 11,112
| +0.04%
|
---|
1886
| 11,850
| +1.29%
|
---|
1891
| 12,074
| +0.38%
|
---|
1896
| 12,373
| +0.49%
|
---|
| Year
| Pop.
| ±% p.a.
|
---|
1901
| 13,240
| +1.36%
|
---|
1906
| 14,334
| +1.60%
|
---|
1911
| 14,458
| +0.17%
|
---|
1921
| 14,391
| ?0.05%
|
---|
1926
| 17,865
| +4.42%
|
---|
1931
| 18,705
| +0.92%
|
---|
1936
| 20,090
| +1.44%
|
---|
1946
| 18,174
| ?1.00%
|
---|
1954
| 20,484
| +1.51%
|
---|
1962
| 23,150
| +1.54%
|
---|
1968
| 25,890
| +1.88%
|
---|
1975
| 30,009
| +2.13%
|
---|
1982
| 30,213
| +0.10%
|
---|
1990
| 29,829
| ?0.16%
|
---|
1999
| 29,453
| ?0.14%
|
---|
2007
| 28,471
| ?0.42%
|
---|
2012
| 28,309
| ?0.11%
|
---|
2017
| 28,530
| +0.16%
|
---|
|
|
Source: EHESS
[7]
and INSEE (1968-2017)
[8]
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Repertoire national des elus: les maires"
(in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des donnees publiques francaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^
"Populations legales 2021"
.
The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies
. 28 December 2023.
- ^
Chisholm, Hugh
, ed. (1911).
"Soissons"
.
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 352.
- ^
Dierkens, Alain (1984). "Superstitions, christianisme et paganisma a la fin de l'epoque merovingienne: A propos de l
'
Indiculus superstitionem et paganiarum
". In Herve Hasquin (ed.).
Magie, sorcellerie, parapsychologie
. Brussels: Editions de l'Universite de Bruxelles. pp. 9?26.
- ^
"At Agincourt : Chapter XIX. Agincourt by G. A. Henty @ Classic Reader"
. classicreader.com
. Retrieved
7 June
2010
.
- ^
John James, The Template-makers of the Paris Basin, Leura, 1989.
- ^
Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui
:
Commune data sheet Soissons
,
EHESS
(in French)
.
- ^
Population en historique depuis 1968
, INSEE
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Soissons
.
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