Sacred Spaces > Site de Saint Omer
  | | Saint Omer The history and heritage of the town of Saint-Omer have always been closely linked to religious life. In the 7th century, Omer, the first Bishop of the region, founded the Abbey of Saint-Bertin and its funeral chapel dedicated to the Virgin on the territory of Sithieu. During three centuries a vast "monasterium” was developed at first between these two points, linked by a processional route. In the great centuries of the Middle Ages, a town was born along this sacred route (now the rue Saint-Bertin) which experienced an impressive growth-rate to reach nearly 35,000 inhabitants at the end of the 12th century. The Roman collegiate church was followed by a Gothic collegiate church, the present Cathedral, an important pilgrimage site. The town was split into seven parishes such as Saint-Denis or Saint-Sépulcre with preserved enclosures. More and more numerous religious communities made their home here as the fall in the population, due to epidemics, left space in the town. They occupied up to a third of the town's territory. This movement amplified further during the 16th century with the town becoming the head of a diocese and a Catholic bastion in the face of the Protestant Reformation. The Bishops founded a Seminary, two Jesuit Colleges followed by an Episcopal Palace. The Revolution swept away part of this colossal heritage whilst the religious spirit carried on in the 19th century, carried by the devotion to traditional saints such as Omer or Notre-Dame-des-Miracles. Today, Saint Omer, which has obtained the national label of Ville d'art et d'histoire, wishes to share this monumental heritage and its works of art with all its visitors. |
