A city of northern France on the Somme River north of Paris. Settled in pre-Roman times, it has been a textile center since the Middle Ages. The city's Gothic cathedral is the largest church in France. Population: 136,000.
Amiens
Dictionary:
Am·i·ens (ăm'ē-ənz, ä-myăN')  |
A city of northern France on the Somme River north of Paris. Settled in pre-Roman times, it has been a textile center since the Middle Ages. The city's Gothic cathedral is the largest church in France. Population: 136,000.
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Amiens (ämyăN'), city (1991 pop. 136,234), capital of Somme dept., N France, in Picardy, on the Somme River. It is a rail hub and a large market for the truck farming carried on in the surrounding Somme marshlands. Also an important textile center (since the 16th cent.), it has been particularly famous for its velvet. Other products are chemicals, soap, tires, and electrical equipment. Originally a Gallo-Roman town, it was an episcopal see from the 4th cent. The historic capital of Picardy, it was overrun and occupied by many invaders. It was conquered by Henry IV in 1597. There, in 1802, the Treaty of Amiens was signed. It was severely devastated in both World Wars and has been rebuilt since 1945, largely in the medieval style. Of interest is the Cathedral of Notre Dame (begun c.1220), the largest Gothic cathedral in France. It is 470 ft (143 m) long and has a nave 140 ft (43 m) high; the transept dates from the 14th cent.; the spire (370 ft/113 m high) and the large rose window were added in the 16th cent.
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Coordinates: 49°53′31″N 2°17′56″E / 49.892°N 2.299°E
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Commune of Amiens |
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  Saint Leu area in Amiens |
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| Location | |
  Amiens
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Picardie |
| Department | Somme |
| Arrondissement | Amiens |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération Amiens Métropole |
| Mayor | Gilles Demailly (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 14–106 m (46–350 ft) (avg. 33 m/110 ft) |
| Land area1 | 49.46 km2 (19.10 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 139,271 (2006) |
| - Density | 2,816 /km2 (7,290 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 80021/ 80000 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Amiens (French pronunciation: [amjɛ̃]) is a city and commune in northern France, 120 km (75 mi) north of Paris. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardie.
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History
The Paleolithic culture named Acheulean was named for its first identified site, in Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens. Amiens, the Roman Samarobriva, was the central settlement of the Ambiani, one of the principal tribes of Gaul, who were issuing coinage, probably from Amiens, in the first century BC. By tradition, it was at the gates of Amiens that Saint Martin of Tours, at the time still a Roman soldier, shared his cloak with a naked beggar. Saint Honorius (Honoré) (d. 600 AD) was the seventh bishop of the city.
In 1264, Amiens was the seat of arbitrations by King Louis IX of France in the conflict between King Henry III of England and his rebellious barons, led by Simon de Montfort. The arbitrations led to Louis deciding on the Mise of Amiens – a one-sided settlement in favour of Henry. This decision almost immediately led to the outbreak of the Barons' War.[1]
Amiens was later the capital of Picardy.
The Battle of Amiens was the opening phase of the Hundred Days Offensive in World War I. This offensive led to the armistice which ended the war.
During World War II, on 18 February 1944, Nazi-occupied Amiens was the site of Operation Jericho, a British operation which freed 258 people by bombing Amiens prison.
International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in France
Twin towns — Sister cities
Amiens is twinned with:
Dortmund, Germany[2]
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
Darlington, England, United Kingdom
Nafplio, Greece
Sights
Amiens Cathedral (a World Heritage Site) is the tallest of the large 'classic' Gothic churches of the 13th century and is the largest in France of its kind. After a fire destroyed the former cathedral, the new nave was begun in 1220 - and finished in 1247. Amiens Cathedral is notable for the coherence of its plan, the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation, the particularly fine display of sculptures on the principal façade and in the south transept, and the labyrinth, and other inlays of its floor. It is described as the "Parthenon of Gothic architecture," and by John Ruskin as "Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable."
Amiens is also known for the hortillonnages, gardens on small islands in the marshland along the Somme River, surrounded by a grid network of man-made canals.
Culinary
The "Summer Rambo," an heirloom apple cultivar, originated near Amiens sometime during the 16th century.
See also
- Treaty of Amiens
- Battle of Amiens (disambiguation page)
- Operation Jericho
References
- ^ Maddicott, John (1994). Simon de Montfort. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 257–8. ISBN 0521374936.
- ^ "List of Twin Towns in the Ruhr Destrict". © 2009 Twins2010.com. http://www.twins2010.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pic/Dokumente/List_of_Twin_Towns_01.pdf?PHPSESSID=2edd34819db21e450d3bb625549ce4fd. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
External links
- Official website
- Hortillons: http://perso.club-internet.fr/claudine.bienaime/parcsjardins.htm#parchortillons
- Amiens Cathedral in the Structurae database
- The Cathedral of Amiens colored !
- Columbia University Media Center for Art History - Amiens Cathedral Website
- Amiens - Business Directory
- Pictures of Amiens and the Somme
- Old Postcards of Amiens
- Photos of Amiens in 3d (Anaglyphs)
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Somme (department, France)
- Cantigny (village of northern France)
- Firmin
- Master of Amiens (art)
- Why is the Cathedral of Notre-Dame famous? (history)
- Peter the Hermit (French monk and preacher of the First Crusade)
- Boulogne (city of northern France on the English Channel)
- calf’s-tongue molding, calves’-tongue molding
- Nicolas Blasset (art)
- Auguste (Jean Maria Charles) Sérieyx (music)
- Thomas de Cormont (architecture)
- Simon Marmion (art)
- Walter of Châtillon (music)
- Crécy (town of northern France)
