Saint-Quentin

France

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Saint-Quentin, town, Aisne département, Hauts-de-France région, northeastern France. The town is situated on the slopes of a hill on the right bank of the Somme River at its junction with the Canal de Saint-Quentin.

An important medieval pilgrimage town, Saint-Quentin was besieged in 1557 by the Spanish, and in 1871 it was captured by the Germans during the Franco-German War. It was almost completely destroyed in 1918 in World War I.

The Gothic collegiate church of Saint-Quentin (13th to 15th century; restored after World War I) has a fine 13th-century nave built over the tomb of Gaius Quentinius (St. Quentin), a 3rd-century martyr. The Antoine Lécuyer Museum houses a collection of pastels by the 18th-century artist Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, who was born in Saint-Quentin. The town’s entomological museum has one of the richest collections of its kind in Europe.

A wool centre since the Middle Ages, Saint-Quentin now has only a small textile industry. Other activities include electrical and mechanical engineering and chemical processing. The town is linked by road to other major cities and towns in the region. Pop. (1999) 59,066; (2014 est.) 55,878.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg.