A walk through Soissons through the ages

Starting point and access: Soissons railway station.
- TER – Line between Paris-Nord and Laon.
Take the Place de la Gare exit, on the side of platform 1 (towards Laon from Paris; if coming from the opposite direction, use the underpass).

(S/E) On leaving the station, cross the square and head straight towards the town centre along Avenue du Général de Gaulle. Cross a river (the Crise on the map) and walk along the left-hand side of Parc de la République for about a hundred metres.

(1) Enter the park and turn left immediately. At a fork in the road (marked by a stone stele), turn right. Walk briefly alongside the river and go round a playground on the left. Leave the park and you’ll come out at a roundabout, in the centre of which stands a modern sculpture of the famous ‘broken vase’.

Then take the second right, Rue Racine (one-way street). At the junction, turn left onto Avenue Thiers (dead end). At the end of the road, go through the gate on the right leading to the pedestrian entrance to the abbey and climb a few flights of steps. At the top, turn left and, facing the former arsenal building, turn left again to reach the site of the church’s nave (now demolished), at the foot of the two remaining towers.

(2) Facing the towers, head diagonally to the left towards the former cloister (erroneously labelled ‘chapter house’ on the map), two wings of which are well preserved. At the far end, at the corner where the two wings meet, climb the stairs leading into the former refectory (if the door is closed, go round the building to the left). Exit via a staircase on the other side and turn right. A staircase on the right allows for a brief detour to visit the storeroom. Make your way to the church façade.

With your back to the façade, go straight on and go through the exit gate. Cross the roundabout, continue straight on for about thirty metres and, at the junction, turn right onto a wide, gently sloping boulevard (Boulevard Jeanne d’Arc, not signposted here).

At the next junction, turn right onto the one-way street, with the cathedral clearly in view. At the end, take the second left, Rue des Déportés et fusillés. Walk past a car park to reach the cathedral’s façade.

(3) With your back to the façade, turn left and head along a gravel path towards a fountain. When you reach the fountain, turn left onto Rue de l’Évêché. Walk past a car park on your right and note the remains of the Gallo-Roman ramparts at the far end.

At the chancel end of the cathedral, turn right towards the square and, at the corner of the market hall, turn right onto Rue des Chaperons Rouges (note the zinc-grey building on the right-hand side).

At the junction, turn left into Rue Charles Desboves. At the next junction (note the Maison des Syndicats and the Art Deco-style building further on), turn left again into Rue du Marché. At the end of the street, cross the perpendicular road, enter Place Fernand Marquigny and head for the war memorial.

(4) Walk round the monument (preferably in a clockwise direction); it is decorated with historical scenes from various periods. Then cross the square heading east, i.e. moving away from the cathedral. Cross Rue Saint-Martin and enter Square Saint-Pierre, opposite the chapel of the same name.

Go round the chapel on the right and walk along a section of ruined wall on your right-hand side. At the chancel end of the chapel, go down a flight of steps on the right and leave the square. Turn left and walk past the base of the monument honouring British soldiers. Continue and, shortly afterwards, head up Rue du Mont Revers on the left.

At the junction, turn right onto Rue du Commerce. Then take the first left, Rue du Griffon. At the end of the street, turn right onto Rue du Beffroi (note the Art Deco façade of the cinema on the right-hand side).

(5) At the roundabout, head left along Rue du Collège. Pass Place du Cloître on your left and, on the opposite side at No. 22, note the Egyptian-style decorations on the front of a hairdresser’s.

Turn left into Rue de la Buerie, then right into Rue de la Trinité. At the end, turn right into Rue de l’Échelle du Temple. Take the first right, Rue des Paveurs. At the end, cross Rue Saint-Christophe then turn left into the square of the same name.

Walk past the monument honouring the reconstruction cooperatives, cross the car park and continue to the end of the square.

(6) Then turn right. At the junction, take Rue Quinette on the left. At the corner by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, turn right onto the one-way street (not signposted here; Rue Porte Hozanne on the map). Go straight on and walk past the Red Cross building on your left. Continue along Rue Richebourg.

At the end, cross a street and then the Grand Place (stele). On the other side, continue down the centre of Rue de la Paix. At the next junction, carry on straight ahead between Saint-Léger Abbey on your left and the Town Hall on your right. Walk past a car park and you’ll reach a roundabout.

Then turn left onto Avenue du Mail. After about fifty metres, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and continue along a gravel path. Turn slightly right, go under the bridge and walk alongside the River Aisne. Just before the footbridge, leave the towpath and head up to the right onto the quay.

(7) Take a short round trip across the Passerelle des Anglais for a view overlooking the River Aisne.

(7) With your back to the river, head straight on along Rue de la Bannière. Take the first left onto Rue Notre-Dame. At the end, cross Rue des Feuillants and go through the small gate situated between the Pavillon de l’Arquebuse (Louis XIII style) on the left and a large gate on the right.

At the end of the gravel path, turn right to rejoin a road. Follow it to the right and, at the junction, turn left onto Rue des Feuillants. Walk past a former public meeting hall on your right.

(8) At the next crossroads, turn left onto Rue Saint-Martin. Carry on straight ahead, passing a small triangular square on your right. Continue straight ahead onto Rue des Charliers (cobbled).

At the end (with a view of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes Abbey on the right), turn left onto Avenue Thiers. Go round the roundabout on the right (monument to the 1870 war).

After crossing Avenue de la Division Leclerc, turn right into Parc de la République. Continue straight on, keeping Avenue du Général de Gaulle on your left. Before reaching the memorial you passed on the way there, leave the park on the left.

(1) Turn right and head straight up Avenue du Général de Gaulle to the station (S/E).

Train timetables: see the SNCF website.

For motorists:
It is, of course, possible to park in the station car park, situated along Rue de Belleu, near Place de la Gare and platform 1. However, as the route between the station and the Parc de la République is not particularly interesting, it is recommended that you park in one of the many car parks dotted along the circular route through the town centre (this will save you around 1.7 km):
- Place Mantoue, at the foot of the cathedral (3).
- Place Fernand Marquigny, where the war memorial is located (4).
- Place Saint-Christophe, just before (6).
- Grand Place, between (6) and (7).
- Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, between (6) and (7).
- At the chevet of Saint-Léger Abbey, between (6) and (7).

A good pair of trainers is all you need for this urban walk.

Toilets on the right just before you leave the grounds of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes Abbey.

Bars, restaurants and shops along the route, mainly in the cathedral district (3) and Rue Saint-Martin (8), and to a lesser extent on Avenue Charles de Gaulle and Place de la Gare, between (S/E) and (1).

A detailed map is required (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Access conditions for the Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Vignes site:
Opening hours:
- Opening: 9.00 am on weekdays; 10.00 am at weekends and on public holidays.
- Closing time: 5.00 pm from November to February; 6.00 pm from March to October.
Recommendations:
Several areas are off-limits to the public due to the risk of falling rocks: please respect the barriers and follow the on-site signs.

Hike undertaken by the author on 2 December 2018.

Founded around 20 BC, the first capital of the Frankish kingdom and 80 per cent destroyed during the First World War, Soissons has a turbulent history spanning two millennia, which cannot be reduced to the single episode of the vase shattered before Clovis’s eyes – a story everyone learnt at primary school. See an overview ofthe history of the town of Soissons.

From the railway station (S/E) to Saint-Jean-des-Vignes Abbey (2):
- Parc de la République (1).
- Modern sculpture of the famous ‘broken vase’, at the roundabout just outside the park.

Saint-Jean-des-Vignes Abbey (2):
Founded in 1076, the church was rebuilt in the 13th–15th centuries in the Gothic style. It was dismantled stone by stone in the early 19th century. The site is open to the public (see access conditions in the practical information section). Visitors will particularly enjoy:
- The site of the nave of the old church.
- The two towers on the façade, which were spared from demolition.
- The cloister, two wings of which have been preserved.
- The refectory, which has been fully restored.
- The cellar, on the floor below, which hosts temporary exhibitions.
- The former abbot’s residence, which houses an information centre on the town’s history (free admission; entrance on the left before leaving the site).

Saint-Gervais and Saint-Protais Cathedral (3):
Built in the Gothic style, it was constructed between the late 12th century and the late 15th century. Of particular note:
- The nave, which is impressive in size.
- The choir’s stained-glass windows, dating from the 18th century.
- In the left arm of the transept, a painting by Rubens from 1625 depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds.

From the cathedral (3) to the war memorial (4):
- Remains of Gallo-Roman ramparts, Rue de l’Évêché.
- Market hall (1911).
- Art Deco buildings around the market hall.

War Memorial (4):
Erected in 1926 on Place de Marquigny at the apse of the cathedral, this monument recounts the history extending beyond the First World War. Notable features include:
- At the top, four allegorical figures holding a flame.
- At the four corners, statues of two ‘poilus’ (soldiers), a 12th-century bourgeois and a Frankish soldier.
- South side: a scene depicting the evacuation of the town.
- West side: an allegory of victory featuring two soldiers with fierce and determined expressions.
- North side: the scene of the broken vase witnessed by Clovis.
- East side: the entry into the city of Joan of Arc and Charles VII on 23 July 1429.

From the War Memorial (4) to Place Saint-Christophe (6):
- Saint-Pierre Chapel (12th century).
- British Memorial, at the bottom of Square Saint-Pierre. A monument erected in 1928 in honour of the soldiers of the British Empire who served during the First World War.
- Le Clovis cinema, in the Art Deco style, 12 Rue du Beffroi, a little further on (5).
- Egyptian motifs on the façade of a hairdressing salon, 22 Rue du Collège, a little further on (5).
- Monument to the Reconstruction Co-operatives, Place Saint-Christophe (6). The monument was erected in 1935 in honour of Guy de Lubersac (1878–1932), a pilot during the Great War, who played a major role in coordinating the reconstruction co-operatives after the end of the conflict.

From Place Saint-Christophe (6) to the Passerelle des Anglais (7):
- Former chemist’s shop front, Pue de la Paix.
- Saint-Léger Abbey (13th–14th centuries). Admission is charged for the abbey and the museum.
- Town Hall.
- Banks of the River Aisne.

From the Passerelle des Anglais (7) to the station (S/E):
- Pavillon de l’Arquebuse (1626), in the Louis XIII style.
- Art Deco buildings on Rue Saint-Martin.
- War memorial to those who fell in the 1870 war (1901), Place de la République.