Soissons (pop. 29,439), situated on the Aisne to the northeast of Paris, has been the see of a bishop since the third century. In antiquity it was the capital of a Celtic tribe, the Suessiones. In 486 Clovis defeated the Roman general Syagrius here, and in 752 Pépin the Short was elected king of the Franks in Soissons.
Soissons has the remains of three abbeys. St Jean des Vignes (13th-14th C), to the south of the town, has preserved the magnificent Gothic facade of its church (15th C), flanked by two towers. St Léger has a 13th century church with a 14th C doorway; it now houses the Musée d'Archéologie et d'Art, with Gallo-Roman and medieval antiquities and a collection of pictures. St Médard has a pre-Romanesque crypt.
In the Place Centrale in Soissons is the Gothic Cathedral of St-Gervais-et-St-Protais (12th-13th C; facade altered in 18th C). Its most notable features are the beautiful rose window with 15th C stained glass in the north transept, the fine south transept and an "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Rubens.
Read More
Read Less
