St. Riquier
| Saint-Riquier | |
|---|---|
| Commune | |
Hôtel-Dieu
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 Saint-Riquier
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Location within Hauts-de-France region
Saint-Riquier
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| Coordinates: 50°08′01″N 1°56′53″E / 50.1336°N 1.9481°ECoordinates: 50°08′01″N 1°56′53″E / 50.1336°N 1.9481°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Somme |
| Arrondissement | Abbeville |
| Canton | Rue |
| Intercommunality | CC Ponthieu-Marquenterre |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | Yves Monin |
| Area1 | 14.48 km2 (5.59 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)2 | 1,267 |
| • Density | 88/km2 (230/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 80716 /80135 |
| Elevation | 19–97 m (62–318 ft) (avg. 22 m or 72 ft) |
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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. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Saint-Riquier is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
The commune is situated 6 kilometres (4 mi) northeast of Abbeville, on the D925 and D32 crossroads.
Saint-Riquier (originally Centula or Centulum ) gained fame for its abbey, founded about 625 by Riquier (Richarius), son of the governor of the town, when the town was within Austrasia in the Merovingian Kingdom. It was enriched by King Dagobert I and prospered in the early 9th century Carolingian Empire under the abbacy of Angilbert, son-in-law of Charlemagne. The 18th century buildings are occupied by an ecclesiastical seminary. The church is a magnificent example of Flamboyant Gothic architecture of the 15th and 16th centuries, and has a richly sculptured front on the west, surmounted by a square tower. In the interior the fine vaulting, the Renaissance font and carved stalls, and the frescoes in the treasury are especially noteworthy. Among other valuable relics, the treasury possesses a copper cross said to be the work of Saint Eloi (Eligius).
The abbey was part of the diocese of Amiens in Ponthieu. The early counts of Ponthieu originally were styled advocatus of the abbey of Saint Riquier and "castellan" of Abbeville. The counts of Ponthieu enrolled their younger sons who were going into religious vocations at the abbey. Count Enguerrand I placed his sons, Fulk, later abbot of Forest-l'Abbaye, and Guy, later the bishop of Amiens, in Saint Riquier for their education. Their teacher was abbot Enguerrand "the Wise" (d. 9 December 1045), under whose rule Saint Riquier enjoyed its "golden age." The abbey held estates in Norfolk, England.
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Wikipedia