Shakespeare’s First Folio, aviator Douglas Bader and rink hockey are all part of Saint-Omer’s rich cultural heritage, as Caroline Mills discovers…
Fabien Barengo surges forwards, controlling the ball as he speeds down the wing past a determined defence and slams the ball into the goal. There’s a moment of celebration as Barengo’s SCRA rink hockey teammates crowd around their captain, whose strike is one of 11 goals pushed beyond the reach of the Roubaix goalie, left floundering on all fours.
The SCRA (Skating Club de la Région Audomaroise), founded in 1934 and based at the Salle des Sports du Brockus in Saint-Omer, take the game in their stride, giving the opposition a thorough drubbing. This local derby is part of the national league’s premier division, and this elite team are French champions for the 12th time. With the sound of loyal fans. singing, drumming and the waving of billowing flags, I’ve not had so much excitement on a Saturday night in France for a while. Rink hockey is not necessarily what springs to mind for visitors to Saint-Omer, which is perhaps best known for its marshes, the Audomarais, one of the last productive cultivated marshes in France. But the sport is an important part of the town’s rich and varied cultural heritage.
SCRA Saint Omer champions of France acknowledge fans after the match (c)Caroline Mills
Saint-Omer’s 1,000 years of history are crammed into a few enjoyable hours scouring the town with Cécile, a guide from the Maison du Patrimoine – more on that later and Denis Xavier, a longstanding resident who spent his working life as a doctor at the local hospital and now, in retirement, works as a greeter, giving free guided tours of his beloved town.
I meet Monsieur Xavier at the entrance of the town’s public garden, a 20-hectare park with formal French gardens filled with topiary and colourful flowers next to English-style parkland. I could easily spend a full day in the park, but Denis is keen to show me the sky-high ramparts to the city -fortifications revised by the revered military engineer Vauban but originally built when Saint-Omer was under Spanish rule. Yes, Spanish rule. It’s hard for my head to fathom with Saint-Omer so close to England (and so far away from Spain) but Saint-Omer only became French with the coronation of Louis XIV. Prior to that, the town had passed through the hands of the Flemish, Vikings, the Duchy of Burgundy and the Habsburgs, before becoming part of the Spanish Netherlands.
Cathedrale de Notre-Dame and Jesuit chapel seen from the Faubourg du Haut Pont suburb of Saint Omer
They’ve all left their mark, as is evident from the link between the 7th century Abbaye de Saint-Bertin, founded by Bishop Audomar or Saint-Omer as he became known and the 8th century cathedral, a collegiate church of notable stature. The abbey is in ruins. All that’s left is an atmospheric stone plinth for amorous pigeons, weeds growing on empty windowsills; its Gothic archways must be completed in the mind’s eye, the stone having been pilfered in past centuries for building elsewhere.
A SPANISH INFLUENCE
The creamy stone cathedral, by contrast, stands decorously squat and fat in the town centre, surrounded by some of Saint-Omer’s grand historic residences. Though Saint Omer’s tomb remains within the cathedral, his relics disappeared during the French Revolution. Also of note beneath the single tower is an impressively large 18th-century organ, used for summer concerts, a vast painting from Rubens’ workshop (Rubens was painter to the Spanish court, hence the link), and an outstanding 16th-century astrological clock. So, too, is reference, in stone, to the Sun King who, in 1677, entered the church on a horse. There are fine views of the cathedral from the courtyard garden beside the tourist information office, a quiet orchard in which to reflect on the cathedral’s masterful stonework. But I find my favourite perspective of the building is a long-distance view from the Quai du Haut-Pont. From here where market gardeners of the marais regard themselves as Flemish the Canal du Haut-Pont, lined by a charismatic jumble of rooftops, appears to stretch like a ribbon towards the foot of the cathedral.
Horloge astrolab – 2023 © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer1
Otherwise, one of the most impressive buildings in Saint-Omer is the Jesuit Chapel. Its enormous façade of red brick and stone, with scrollwork ornamentation, can also be seen across the rooftops. The English Jesuit College educated many Catholic scholars who, due to their religion, were not allowed to attend Oxford or Cambridge. One such was Charles Carroll, who left Maryland to study at the college, only to return to sign the United States Declaration of Independence. The grand chapel is rarely open to the public, but the town’s library, which is housed within the former college, is and it should not be missed. Inside, beyond the modern-day shelves of modern-day books one might expect, is the salle patrimoniale. The vast room is lined with ceiling-high wooden shelving that came from the Abbaye de Saint-Bertin, as did much of the 35,000-strong collection of immense leather-bound books.
Chapelle des Jesuites ornamentaion (c)Caroline Mills
CULTURAL RICHES
There is a homely warmth about the grand carpeted room that was built to accommodate the bookshelves. Parallel rows of comfortable moss green armchairs, each with a reading lamp, are positioned along the centre of the library, sandwiched between display cases presenting a rotating selection from the collection. The collection contains some of Saint-Omer’s most extraordinary treasures: a Gutenberg Bible and a First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays. It is one of my favourite places to visit in Pas-de-Calais.
Moulin à Café © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer
Well, that, and Le Moulin à Café – the Coffee Grinder – the once derogatory, now affectionate name for the building housing Saint-Omer’s theatre. Originally opened in 1841, the Italian Renaissance theatre is, like the library, one of those buildings that feels unexpectedly grand for a small town in northern France. Restored and reopened in 2019, the Italian-style horseshoe auditorium is a sumptuous circle of rich red and gleaming gold beneath an immense painted dome, from which dangles a glamorous chandelier.
Office de Tourisme garden and cathedral © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer
For artwork, I head to the Musée Sandelin, housed in a former 18th-century mansion. Upon arrival, visitors can follow a self-guided tour highlighting masterpieces among the fine collection of paintings, porcelain and pottery, jewellery, and extraordinary Romanesque mosaic flooring recovered from the Abbaye de Saint-Bertin.
Musée Sandelin © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer
It is the rooms themselves, restored in 2024, that are the true masterpieces. The museum is laid out across the salons of the grand house, inviting visitors to imagine past soirées. A card table sits in the Games Room, music seems to play as if awaiting guests, and the architecture becomes as much a draw as the artworks on the walls.
I manage to fit one last visit into my bulging itinerary. The Maison du Patrimoine, which opened in July 2025, is a visitor centre dedicated to the cultural history of the town and surrounding villages as a designated Ville et Pays d’art et d’histoire. There’s much to interact withdrawers to open, buttons to press, games to play; children will enjoy this space as much as adults, and it’s free to visit. The extraordinary bespoke-designed contemporary curving staircase is unmissable.
Rue Louis Martel Rue piétonne SAINT-OMER © P.Hudelle
Overlooking the central Place du Maréchal Foch I sit in the cosy bar-stooled Queen Victoria pub (yes, really), pondering which of the 13 local beers on tap might best quench my thirst. I am reminded just how many links to Britain there are in this remarkable little Flemish-looking town. Not only is there the First Folio and the fashion for English pub names (Le Dickens is next door), but Saint-Omer is the spiritual birthplace of the Royal Air Force a commemorative memorial on a windswept aerodrome above the town explains the story. It’s also the town where in the Second World War, British pilot Douglas Bader was hospitalised having been shot down over northern France during German Occupation. The former hospital is on Rue Saint-Bertin, one of the most prestigious addresses in town.
My five-day stay in Saint-Omer was not long enough to sample everything the town has to offer. The beer, the cultural history and the rink hockey are just too good to stay away for long. But only 24 miles from Calais, it’s an easy place to revisit.
UNMISSABLE SAINT-OMER
SCRA SAINT-OMER
For a great night out, head to the Salle des Sports du Brockus when SCRA Saint-Omer are playing. With a clubhouse and bar to boot, guests are always welcome. Match tickets can be bought in advance.
01 SCRA Saint Omer (c)Caroline Mills
ASCENSEUR À BATEAUX DES FONTINETTES
This boat lift, on the Canal de Neufossé in Arques, is the only one of its kind in France. It is modelled on the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire and is a marvel of steel and structural engineering. The small museum offers an insight into the unique world of the bargemen and their families in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Ascenseur a bateaux des fontinettes (c)Caroline Mills
This is the Second World War site from where it was proposed to fire V-2 rockets into England. Within the history centre are outstanding, hard-hitting exhibitions on the history. of the site, its relationship to the space race during the Cold War, and the genocide in northern France. There is also an excellent 3D planetarium for an immersive experience.
La Coupole (c)Caroline Mills
LA MAISON DU MARAIS
Discover the heritage and way of life of the market gardeners who have toiled the rich Marais. Audomarois for centuries. In addition to exhibitions to learn more about the marshes, visitors can board a traditional bacove (flat-bottomed boat) and tour the canal system in this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Maison du Marais – Drone © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer
LE MOULIN À CAFÉ & THÉÂTRE LA BARCAROLLE
Guided visits are possible of this fully restored theatre on Place du Maréchal Foch, though the best way to experience it is by attending one of the many shows or concerts.
Le Moulin a Cafe Theatre la Barcarolle (c)Caroline Mills
SAINT-OMER ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE BY TRAIN
Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Lille-Europe. Lille-Flandres to Saint-Omer is 3h 20m; Paris Gare du Nord to Saint-Omer is 2h 20m.
BY CAR
Le Shuttle Folkestone to Coquelles or DFDS, P&O Ferries. or Irish Ferries Dover to Calais, then A26 to Saint-Omer.
WHERE TO STAY
Palais de la Cathédrale is a magnificent, recently restored townhouse opposite the cathedral. With two homely double bedrooms (one en suite, the other with private bathroom), each includes a seating and dining area with microwave and kettle. It’s possible to rent both rooms for families or groups. www.le-colegram-restaurant-du-palais-de-la-cathedrale.com/en
Stay Palais de la Cathédrale © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer
WHERE TO EAT
Enjoy fabulous food in elegant, classical rooms at Le Colegram, on the ground floor of Palais de la Cathédrale. For something less formal, Le Phare Café on Rue de Dunkerque offers an excellent rustic menu in hip surroundings, or Michelin-listed Boucan, in Le Moulin à Café, serves a delicious prix-fixe or street-food style menu, cooked in front of you.
Eat Restaurant Le Colegram – Palais de la Cathédrale © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer
TOURIST INFORMATION
From France Today Magazine
Lead photo credit : Cathédrale – Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer © Tourisme en Pays de Saint-Omer
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