Saint-Quentin
The town of Saint-Quentin is located on the slopes of the right bank of Somme River, at its juncture with the Canal de Saint-Quentin.  It is situated in the Département of Aisne, northwest of Laon and 80 miles northeast of Paris. 

The 13th century nave, of the Gothic Saint-Quentin Church, was built over the tomb of the 3rd century martyr Saint-Quentin [Gaius Quentinius].  A collection of pastels, by the 18th century artist Maurice-Quentin de la Tour, is found in the Antoine Lécuver Museum.  The artist was born in Saint-Quentin.  The Entomological museum houses one of the finest European collections. 

The Veromandurans, a Gallic tribe, had their capital here during the Roman period.  In 287 AD, Saint-Quentin, who introduced Christianity to the area, was martyred here.  During the 4th century, the Germanic invasions destroyed the town.  In 645, Saint-Éloi established a religious order and abbey around which the town rebuilt.  During the medieval period, the town became an important pilgrimage destination.  Later, the counts of Vermandois set up their capital here.  In 1080, the town was granted a civic charter. 

In 1557, during the Wars of Religion, between the Huguenots and the Catholics, the Spanish besieged the town.  Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the Huguenot leader, was able to briefly withstand the onslaught by the Spanish and their allies.  When the Huguenot’s reinforcements were defeated, outside the town’s walls, the Spanish ransack the town.   

In 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War, the Germans captured Saint-Quentin.  The 1918 battles, during World War I, raised most of the town.  The Germans occupied the town on August 2, 1914, and converted it to a stronghold of the Siegfried Line from which the Germans launched their attack against the French in March, 1918. 

The 15th century Gothic style Hôtel de Ville and the Church of Saint-Quentin, which reopened in 1920, were among the few historical buildings to survive. 

Saint-Quentin had been a wool center since the Middle Ages.  Today, it also produces chemicals, sugar, synthetic fibers and electrical and mechanical machinery.  The Canal du Nord, which opened in 1965, taking over most of the functions of the old Saint-Quentin Canal, is used to transport coal, industrial products and grain to the greater Parisian area.
 

Senlis
Senlis is located in a forested area on the Nonette River, a tributary of the Oise River, in the département of Oise.  It is about 32 miles north of Paris, 62 miles south-southeast of Amiens and 6 miles east of Chantilly. During the Roman period, the town was prosperous and known as Civitas Silvanectium, from which its present name is derived. 

There is an outer ring of medieval walls that encircle an inner perimeter of staunch Gallo-Roman walls.  The preserved Roman walls circle the old center of town that is to the south of the cathedral.  The town boasts of remnants of a Roman arena, a Roman governors residence [praetorium], a number of Renaissance-period houses, a 15th century Hôtel-de-Ville and the early 16th century royal Château of Henry IV.  Since the time of the 5th century Frankish king, Clovis I, to the 16th century’s Henry IV, the town has been a royal residence for both the Merovingian and Carolingian kings.  Some historians claim that Hugh Capet, the founder of French royalty’s Capetian dynasty, was crowned here, instead of  in Noyon, in 987.  However, the fact is that he was elected king here at Senlis and was then crowned at Noyon. 

In both world wars, Senlis was taken by the Germans; first in 1914 and again in 1940. 

In addition to its associations with the French monarchy, the town is also known for its architectural monuments.  The Gothic Church of Notre-Dame is situated in the center of town.  It was begun in 1155 with the support of Louis VII, and was completed during the 16th century.  It was one of the first churches to be built in the Transitional style.  It has two distinguished towers and a lavish, mid-16th century Flamboyant south transept façade that makes an ornate contrast with the austerity of earlier years.  There is a graceful 13th century spire, on the south tower, that rises 256 feet into the sky.  The eloquent west front portal, decorated by statues and bas-reliefs, depicts the Assumption of the Virgin.  This doorway inspired other cathedral designs, including that at Amiens.  Following a fire, in 1505, the church was restored in the Flamboyant Gothic style.  Even with its several Renaissance additions, it is considered to be one of best examples of Île-de-France Gothic to survive. 

Other medieval churches are located at Senlis:  there is the 12th century Church of Saint-Frambourg, the 13th to 14th century Church of Saint-Pierre and the former abbey Church of Saint-Vincent, which was commenced in 1062.  Saint-Vincent has a 12th century belfry. 

The town has two museums:  a museum with a collection of hunting relics and another that concentrates on archaeology and history. 

Senlis has become a weekend resort for many Parisians.  The town also does furniture manufacturing and metalworking.
 

Soissons
The town of Soissons is located in the Aisne département, 58 miles northeast of Paris, in the rich agricultural valley of the Aisne River.   

Soissons is one of France’s most ancient towns.  The site was originally, in the 3rd century BC, the capital of a Gaulish tribe called the Suessiones.  Under the Romans, it was successively known as Noviodunum, Augusta Suessionum and Suessiona.  The Romans used it as a garrison town.  Latter, in the 3rd century AD, it became a Bishopric.  In 486, Clovis I, the Frankish king, defeated Syagrius, the former Roman governor, and took the town.  There, Clovis established the Merovingian dynasty that ruled Neustria, the western part of the Frankish kingdom.  Pepin the Short disposed Childeric III in 752.  Pepin was then crowned in Soissons’ Saint-Médard abbey. 

10th century battles, fought near Soissons, led to Hugh Capet’s establishment of the Capetian dynasty, in 987, that ruled the town, through the hereditary counts of Soissons, until 1328.  The town suffered greatly during the Hundred Years’ War, which lasted from 1337 to 1453.  The same fate awaited it during the 16th century Wars of Religion. 

During the Napoleonic Wars, Soissons changed hands several time in 1814.  In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, it was shelled and captured by the Germans.   

During World War I, the Franco-British lines were just in front of Soissons.  The Germans bombarded the town without mercy before its capture in May, 1918.  On July 18, Marshal Foch ordered a counterattack near Soissons.  The following August, the town was retaken by the Allies.   

The Gothic Cathedral of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais is the town’s principal building.  It was mostly constructed from the 12th to the 13th century.  The stained-glass windows of the choir date from the 13th and 14th centuries.  In the 18th century, its façade was modified.   

The town has 3 abbeys.  One of the richest abbeys in France, the abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes, was founded in the 11th century.  It was constructed with two unequal towers surmounted by stone spires, with one reaching as high as 230 feet into the air.  The spires appear to dominate the town and can be seen from a considerable distance.  It was here that the 12th century English prelate, Saint Thomas Becket, spent his exile from England.  Under Napoleon I, the great abbatial church was mostly destroyed.  However the awesome 13th through 16th century façade was spared.  The remains of the abbey’s 13th century refectory and two cloisters still stand.  Still standing is the Abbey of Saint-Médard, which was constructed in the 8th century, and the 11th to 12th century Abbey of Saint-Léger that has been converted into a museum. 

The town is a market place for the produce of the area.  The town has copper and iron foundries and plants that fabricate glass, mechanical equipment, processed food and rubber products.