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Origin and history

The abbey Saint-Bertin, founded in the seventh century by missionary monks (Bertin, Mommelin, Bertrand) under the impulse of the bishop of Thérouanne, implanted in Sithiu (future Saint-Omer) on the banks of the Aa. With land and donations, it became an influential religious centre, home to relics and a renowned library. In 751, she welcomed Childeric III, the last Merovingian king, before her death in 755.

In the 9th century, the abbey was divided into two monasteries (one on the plain, the other on the hill) and resisted Viking invasions despite looting in 860. It accumulates privileges and possessions, confirmed by the popes and Counts of Flanders, many of which are buried there. His scriptorium produced illuminated manuscripts, such as the Psautier de Louis le Germanique, and his library preserved the Annales de Saint-Bertin.

The abbey church, rebuilt between the 14th and 16th centuries, peaks at 48 meters. In 1789, the abbey became well national: the monks were expelled in 1791, the buildings sold, and the church partially demolished. Only the tower remained until its collapse in 1947. The ruins, classified in 1840, recall its spiritual and cultural influence for more than a thousand years.

The site houses remarkable burials, such as an unidentified "countess of Flanders", perhaps Ide (daughter of Baudouin V) or Adelaide (daughter of Baudouin II). The excavations of 1844 reveal the tombs of Abbés. Today, the remains, owned by the city since 1811, offer an overview of medieval monastic architecture and its community organization.

The abbey played a key role in northern evangelization, preservation of knowledge (copies of the Aratea of Leiden) and local power conflicts. His privileges (thims, mills) have generated disputes with lords and cities. The library, looted at the Revolution, contained major works, some of which were preserved in Saint-Omer.

Among works of art related to the abbey, Simon Marmion's altarpiece (1455–1459), commissioned by Father Guillaume Fillâtre, illustrates his patronage. Only two strands remain, scattered between Berlin and London. The abbey, symbol of Benedictine power, formed 1,298 religious between 648 and 1792.

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