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Origin and history

The pavilion of the Arquebuse, located in Soissons, Aisne, was built in 1626 in a Renaissance style, in the heart of a pleasant garden. He served as seat of the Soissons Arquebusier Company, an urban militia heir to medieval traditions of local defence. This brick and stone building, adorned with a high level of slates and girouettes representing arquebusiers, housed a room illuminated by ten stained glass windows inspired by the Métamorphoses d'Ovide, made by the soissonese master glassmaker Pierre Jacheron.

The origins of this institution date back to the 14th century, when the Companies of Arc, Arbalète and Arquebuse were created to defend the cities of Picardie. The Compagnie de l'Arquebuse, a rival of that of the Arbalète, was favored by the Duke of Mayenne in 1603, who gave him land on the old ramparts to establish a fire, a meeting room and a garden. In 1636, the Maréchal d'Estrées had the present pavilion built, financed by local corporations, while the garden was renovated in 1648 with linden aisles and a jet of water.

The pavilion reached its peak in the 17th century, welcoming even Louis XIV in 1673, who admired his stained glass windows without acquiring them. In the 19th century, the building was converted into the Engineering Store, serving as a repository of weapons and powder. Ranked a historical monument in 1901 and 1913 for its facades and roofs, it now bears witness to Soissons' military and artisanal history, as well as to the patronage of the local elites under the Ancien Régime.

The Compagnie de l'Arquebuse, led by a king elected annually on Pentecost Monday, enjoyed tax privileges inherited from the Middle Ages. Its members, coming from the so-called so-called bourgeoisie, gradually abandoned the companies of the Arc and the Arbalet, which had fallen into disuse. The pavilion, a symbol of this institution, also embodies rivalries between urban militias and the evolution of military techniques from the 14th to the 17th century.

The stained glass windows of Pierre Jacheron, now missing, were considered masterpieces of glass painting, combining precision of drawing and vivacity of colours. The large door of the pavilion, erected in 1658 on the initiative of the Maréchal d'Estrées, was surmounted by trophies and military attributes. The garden, originally designed as a charmille star, was transformed in 1648 into a geometric space typical of classical gardens, with a terrace opened on the countryside added in 1672.

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