Saint-Omer

In researching the life of Lambert of Saint-Omer, I realized that the town after which he was named had some interesting history. The town sprang up around the Abbey of Saint Peter, founded in the 7th century by Omer (or Audomar), the bishop of Thérouanne. The abbey's name changed in honor of its second abbot, who became St. Bertin.

The abbey started as a simple small house on a hillock in a marshy area, from which Bertin would go out and preach to the pagan Morini, a coastal tribe in northern France. A converted nobleman gave to bishop Omer a tract of land called Sithiu, which Omer turned over to Bertin for the abbey. Their numbers grew, and eventually a new abbey was built on the site which became surrounded by a town named Omer. (Ordered demolished in 1830, the abbey ruins can be seen in the illustration.)

So near the northern coast made Omer vulnerable to Vikings, who ravaged the place in the 860s and 880s, but the town rebuilt with strong walls. Omer became part of Flanders when Arnulf of Flanders conquered the county in 932. In 1127, its importance as a commercial center (thanks to its growing textile industry) earned it the first charter in West Flanders as a city with city rights.

Omer became part of France (again) when Philip II of France (1165 - 1223) forced the Count Ferdinand of Flanders to sign the Treaty of Pont-à-Vendin. Despite this, and Ferdinand's alliance with King John of England and Emperor Otto IV, Omer remained within French boundaries, though it continued to be a significant part of the Flanders economy. Battle over that part of France continued, and Omer did not become permanently a French town until 1678.

Besides Lambert, another famous son of Saint-Omer was Godfrey of Saint-Omer, one of the founding members of the Knights Templar. The legend of the Templars being so poor that two men had to share a horse refers to Godfrey and Hugues de Payen, the first Grand Master.

I mentioned above that Saint-Omer was the first in the county to gain "city rights." What did that entail? I'll tell you tomorrow.