Saint-Omer

The town hall

Coat of arms

Saint-Omer

Location within Hauts-de-France region

Saint-Omer

Coordinates: 50°44′46″N 2°15′42″E / 50.7461°N 2.2617°ECoordinates: 50°44′46″N 2°15′42″E / 50.7461°N 2.2617°E

Country

Saint-Omer

Government

• Mayor (2014–2020)

François Decoster

Area¹

16.4 km² (6.3 sq mi)

Population (2006)²

15,777

• Density

960/km² (2,500/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

62765 / 62500

Elevation

0–27 m (0–89 ft)
(avg. 6 m or 20 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-Omer (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t‿ɔmɛʁ]; Dutch: Sint-Omaars) is a commune in France.

It is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department 68 km (42 mi) west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area.

The canalised portion of the river Aa begins at Saint-Omer, reaching the North Sea at Gravelines in northern France. Below its walls, the Aa connects with the Neufossé Canal, which ends at the River Leie (French: Lys).

Saint-Omer first appeared in the writings during the 7th century under the name of Sithiu (Sithieu or Sitdiu), around the Saint-Bertin abbey founded on the impulsion of Audomar (Audomarus, Odemaars or Omer).

Omer, bishop of Thérouanne, in the 7th century established the Abbey of Saint Bertin, from which that of Notre-Dame was an offshoot. Rivalry and dissension, which lasted till the French Revolution, soon sprang up between the two monasteries, becoming especially virulent when in 1559 St Omer became a bishopric and Notre-Dame was raised to the rank of cathedral.

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Wikipedia