![]() The houses of the market gardeners on the banks of the waterways are generally small and constructed using light materials as the ground is soft and unstable. Today the marsh is divided into three areas, the western part which is very residential the eastern area which has the most farms and the central and smallest area which is residential with some farming. Two types of waterways were created, the public canals known in French as wateringues and the private dykes known as watergangs. The peat was piled up on the sides of the channels creating areas of fertile soil. So they dug up the peat, by hand, creating channels and draining the water. They soon discovered that the soil under the water was peat which is very fertile. When the monks arrived in Saint Omer during the ninth century they were faced with nearly nine thousand acres of the marshy wetlands of the River Aa, the Audomarois marsh. The monks of the Middle Ages were industrious people and their monasteries and abbeys were self-sufficient. Inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Saint Omer in Pas de Calais, France The Canals of Saint Omer in Pas de Calais, France I was impressed by the spacious, elegant interior, the huge organ and the fascinating astrological clock that has graced the northern transept since 1558. ![]() Notre-Dame Cathedral took three centuries to complete but when it was finally finished during the sixteenth century it was hailed as one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in Northern France. The thirteenth century was a time of burgeoning prosperity for the town rivalling the likes of Bruges, another medieval town surrounded by water. It was six centuries after the arrival the first evangelists in Saint Omer before its cathedral began to take shape. Statue of Saint Bertin by the Ruins of the Abbey of Saint Bertin in Saint Omer in Pas de Calais, France The Cathedral in Saint Omer in Pas de Calais, France, Jardin Public de Saint-Omer, It is not known exactly where Saint Omer was finally laid to rest but it is most likely it was in the cathedral of Saint Omer. A magnificent statue of Saint Bertin stands by the entrance to the abbey. Today this abbey lies in ruins But enough of it remains for visitors to appreciate its former grandeur. The monks were expelled in 1791 during the French Revolution and the abbey and is church were sold at auction in 1799. It continued to develop and by the fourteenth century had evolved into a fine Gothic building. Around this time the name was changed to the Abbey of Saint Bertin. ![]() By the eleventh century this abbey had become famous as centre of holiness and education. Saint Omer gave this monastery to the Benedictine monks of Saint Bertin on condition that he would be buried at the site and that the church would serve as a burial place for the monks. A small monastery was added to the church and it was known as the Abbey of Saint Peter, named for its first abbot. They were quick to establish the Catholic area and by 649 had erected the Church of Our Lady of Sithiu on land donated to the church by a wealthy citizen. Ruins of the Abbey of Saint Bertin in Saint Omer in Pas de Calais, France Both were to leave their mark on the town that was subsequently named Saint Omer. He was assisted in this task and the local language by Saint Bertin. There is so much to see and do in Saint Omer in the Pas de Calais department of Northern France where do I start? At the beginning – with Saint Omer himself.ĭuring the seventh century when Saint Omer (also known as Audomar) was bishop of nearby Thérouanne he was sent to a place called Sithiu to bring Christianity to that area.
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