- Montdidier, Somme
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Montdidier
MontdidierAdministration Country France Region Picardy Department Somme Arrondissement Montdidier Canton Montdidier Intercommunality Canton of Montdidier Mayor Catherine Le Tyrant
(2001–2008)Statistics Elevation 55–113 m (180–371 ft)
(avg. 97 m/318 ft)Land area1 12.58 km2 (4.86 sq mi) Population2 6,174 (2006) - Density 491 /km2 (1,270 /sq mi) INSEE/Postal code 80561/ 80500 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. Coordinates: 49°38′55″N 2°34′15″E / 49.648611°N 2.570833°E
Montdidier is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.
Contents
Geography
Montdidier is situated on the D935 road, some 30 km southeast of Amiens, in the region known as the ‘Santerre’.
Population
Population history 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 4706 4305 4278 4399 4557 5430 5828 6204 6194 6262 6328 6029 Starting in 1962: Population without duplicates 
The Town hall with its 48 m-high belfry.
History
Baptismal fonts.The commune has existed since before Roman times, possibly corresponding to the site of Bratuspance.[1]
Under Charlemagne, a donjon was built in the north-west of the town, on a chalk promontory, (nowadays the site of the Prieuré). It was here, in 774, that Desiderius, king of the Lombards, was held prisoner by Charlemagne, giving the town its name (in French, Didier).
The first church was built near the castle by Heldwide, c 948, the wife of Hilduin 1st of the house of the Counts of Montdidier][2]
Empty tomb of Raoul de Crépy.In 1184, King Philip II Augustus of France had the outlying buildings of the town burnt down[3], during the war for the possession of the Amiénois and the Vermandois. In 1195, the town was granted its communal charter.
In 1472, Montdidier was set alight by the Burgundians. Charles the Bold is reported to have said "Such are the fruits of war"[4].
Under the Ancient Regime, Montdidier was in the ‘province’ of the Santerre (one of eight provinces of Picardie) and the seat of a bailiwick (established in 1516)[5][6]
By edict of 1575, Henry III of France created the élection of Montdidier, granting tax-raising powers to elected representatives.The year 1590 saw the commune threatened and eventually invaded by the troops of Henry IV of France.
As with many towns of the region, Montdidier bore the brunt of the fighting of World War I. Many of the town’s more ancient and valuable monuments went destroyed in that occasion.
In 2000, Baron Seanie Von Irvenstien of the Sunderland district made an official visit, only to be disgusted at their prejudice against the jews.
Main sights
- Church of Saint-Sépulcre in flamboyant gothic, with six 17th century Reydams tapestries on show in the nave
- Church of St Peter (flamboyant gothic)
- Ruins of Saint-Martin’s church
- Statue of Antoine Augustin Parmentier on Parmentier Place
- The town hall, in the Flemish style and decorated in Art deco style
- The priory (once known as the Salle du Roy). Rebuilt in 1930, after being damaged during World War I. It has functioned as the Palais de Justice and became the Centre des Impôts in 1965.[7]
- The war memorial
- Monument to the 212 French pilots who lost their lives in Picardie in May and June 1940
Personalities
- Fredegonde, Queen of Neustria (545-597).
- Jean Fernel, French doctor born at Montdidier in 1497.
- Claude Capperonnier, philosopher, born at Montdidier on the 1st May 1671,
- Jean Capperonnier, philosopher and librarian born at Montdidier on the 9th March 1716,
- Antoine Augustin Parmentier, agriculturist born in Montdidier.
- Louis-Lucien Klotz, 19th century French politician
- Maurice Blanchard, Aeronautic engineer and poet born in Montdidier in 1890.
- Jimmy Casper, French cyclist, born in 1978 in Montdidier.
See also
References
- ^ Pages 68 et 118 : La Somme, éd. du Bastion, 160 p
- ^ Histoire des Cathédrales, Abbayes, Châteaux-forts et Villes de la Picardie et de l'Artois, Paul Roger, éd. Duval et Herment, Amiens, 1842, p. 337, ISBN|2-84265-206-1
- ^ Victor de Beauvillé, Histoire de Montdidier, 1857.
- ^ page 199 : P. Lami, Résumé de l'histoire de la Picardie.
- ^ page 280 : P. Lami, Résumé de l'histoire de la Picardie
- ^ pages 282-283 : P. Lami, Résumé de l'histoire de la Picardie
- ^ Page 9 : « Terres de Parmentier » - Guide d'accueil et de tourisme, éd. "Office de Tourisme de Montdidier, ses environs" - 28 pages (diffusé gracieusement en janvier 2008)
Bibliography
- (French) Paul Roger, pages 259 à 266 in Tome II de « Histoire des Cathédrales, Abbayes, Châteaux-forts et Villes de la Picardie et de l'Artois », éd. Duval et Herment, Amiens, 1842 (Réimpression Editions La Découvrance, 2003), 352 p. - ISBN|2-84265-206-1
External links
- Municipal website (French)
- A history of Montdidier (French)
- Website of Hervé Grosjean (French)
- Old postcards of Montdidier (French)
- Tourist Office website (French)
- Montdidier on the Quid website (French)
Categories:- Communes of Somme
- Subprefectures in France
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