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Saint-Omer, a town of Artois in northern France, sous-préfecture of the département of Pas-de-Calais, 42 miles west-north-west of Lille on the railway to Calais. Population (1990): 15,304.1 Geography
At Saint-Omer begins the canalised portion of the Aa River, which reaches the English Channel at Gravelines, and under its walls it connects with the Neuffossé canal , which ends at the Lys.
2 Sights
The fortifications were demolished during the last decade of the 19th century and boulevards and new thoroughfares made in their place. There are two harbours outside and one within the city. Saint-Omer has wide streets and spacious squares, but little animation.
The old cathedral belongs almost entirely to the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. A heavy square tower finished in 1499 surmounts the west portal. The church contains interesting paintings, a colossal statue of Christ seated between the Virgin and St John (13th century, originally belonging to the cathedral of ThérouanneTherouanne is a commune of northern France , in the department of Pas-de-Calais. It belongs to the canton of Aire-sur-la-Lys, district of Saint-Omer. Population (1999): 1,063 inhabitants, Its postal code is 62129. History At the time of the Gaul, Therouan and presented by the emperor Charles VCharles ( February 24, 1500 September 21 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V from 1519- 1558; he was also King of Spain from 1516- 1556, officially as Charles I of Spain although often referred to as Charles V ("Carlos Quinto" or "Carlos V") in Spa), the cenotaphA cenotaph is a tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek words kenos "empty" and taphos "tomb". Probably the best-known cenotaph in the modern world is the one that st of Saint-Omer (13th century) and numerous ex-votos. The richly decorated chapel in the transeptTewkesbury Abbey. The transepts are coloured purple; the crossing is red. Full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram. In Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture, the transept is the area se contains a wooden figure of the Virgin (12th century), the object of pilgrimageA pilgrimage is a journey by a religious person to a place that is sacred according to his or her religion. Pilgrimage in Hinduism There are several holy places with great significance to Hindus. Some of these (in India) include: Badrinath Kedarnath Gangos. Of St Bertin, the church of the abbey (built between 1326 and 1520 on the site of previous churches) where Childeric IIIChilderic III (died about 751), king of the Franks, was the last king of the Merovingian dynasty. The throne had been vacant for seven years when the mayors of the palace, Carloman and Pippin the Short, decided in 743 to recognize Childeric as king. We ca retired to end his days, there remain some arches and a lofty tower, which serve to adorn a public garden, Several other churches or convent chapels are of interest, among them St Sepulchre (14th century), which has a beautiful stone spire and stained-glass windows.
A fine collection of records, a picture-gallery, and a theatre are all accommodated in the town hall, built of the materials of the abbey of St Bertin. There are several houses of the 16th and 17th centuries; of the latter the finest is the Hôtel Colbert, once the royal lodging, and now occupied by an archaeological museum. Among the hospitals the military hospital is of note as occupying the well-known college opened by the English Jesuits in 1592. The old episcopal palace adjoining the cathedral is used as a court-house. The chief statue in the town is that of Jacqueline Robin .
3 Economy
The industries include the manufacture of linen goods, sugar, soap, tobaccopipes, and mustard, the distilling of oil and liqueurs, dyeing, salt-refining, malting and brewing.
