Saint-Quentin is a French commune located in the department of
Aisne, in the Hauts-de-France region. With the largest population of
the department, of which it is a sub-prefecture, Saint-Quentin is
the ninth most populous municipality in the region. The Picardy city
is located on the Somme. The inhabitants of Saint-Quentin are the
Saint-Quentinois.
In 2016, the municipality and its urban
community received the French Tech label for connected objects.
Saint-Quentin Basilica
The Saint-Quentin Basilica is a French
Catholic church located in the town of Saint-Quentin in the
department of Aisne. This basilica, dedicated to Saint Quentin,
martyr of the third century is an original building belonging
entirely to the Gothic style of which it brings together all the
evolutions. It is linked to the history of the devotion to Saint
Quentin, of which it contains the relics object of an important cult
in the Middle Ages. Its construction is contemporary with that of
Notre-Dame de Paris and the Cathedral of Soissons. The building,
protected as a historical monument, was classified on the first list
of 1840.
Saint-Martin Church of Saint-Quentin
The
Saint-Martin church is located in Saint-Quentin, in the Aisne
department. It is dedicated to the apostle of the Gauls, Saint
Martin.
The Saint-Martin suburb, to the south of the city,
lacked a church while its population increased: it was decided to
build a place of Catholic worship there in 1886, thanks to the
intervention of Canon Dehon. Destroyed during the First World War,
the openwork reinforced concrete spire was rebuilt in 1929 in the
art deco style by A. Vapillon.
Saint-Quentin town hall
The town hall of Saint-Quentin is one of the finest examples of
civil architecture from the Middle Ages in Picardy. Symbol of
communal freedoms, its architecture reveals a certain Flemish
influence. The town hall is located on the Place de l'Hotel de Ville
in the commune of Saint-Quentin, in the department of Aisne, France.
The construction of the town hall of Saint-Quentin began in 1331
and was completed in 1509. The monument was altered during the third
quarter of the 19th century and extensively restored in 1926 after
the destruction of the town during the Great War, in Art Deco style
by architect Louis Guindez. The monument is classified as historical
monuments by decree of August 29, 1984.
Antoine-Lécuyer
Museum
The Antoine Lécuyer Museum of Fine Arts, located in
Saint-Quentin (Aisne), houses a collection of pastels by Maurice
Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788) and a collection of works and objects
of art.
In order to present Quentin de La Tour's studio
collection in a dignified and specific place, the Picard banker
Antoine Lécuyer (1793-1878) bequeathed his collections in 1876 as
well as a place and the funds intended to receive and exhibit the
works. The development of the museum is undertaken under the
direction of the architect Charles-Napoléon Pinguet (1806-1888): the
Antoine-Lécuyer museum is inaugurated in 1886, and presents the
pastels of Maurice Quentin de La Tour as well as collections of
banking arts. This collection was added to another bequest made to
the city of Saint-Quentin in 1881-1883, that of the brothers Félix
and Josias Le Sérurier, also from this city. The building was almost
completely destroyed during the First World War during a bombardment
but the works, sheltered, are preserved. On the model of an 18th
century Parisian mansion, the Hanover pavilion, it was rebuilt
between 1928 and 1932 by Paul Bigot, winner of the Prix de Rome, to
showcase the works of the pastellist. It is another philanthropic
banker, David David-Weill, who as president of the Society of
Friends of the Museum of La Tour, collaborated in the reconstruction
and reopening of this museum.