The story of the Vase of Soissons

It is in 486 that Clovis, the Franks’ young king of Tournai, makes an attack on Syagrius, the last general settled in Soissons. The battle takes place in the surrounding area and sees the victory of Clovis. This one settled in Soissons carrying out plundering and shared his spoils in this city. It is in his History of the Franks (Historia Francorum) that Grégoire de Tours told the anecdote of the Vase of Soissons:

“In that time, Clovis was still a pagan and many churches were plundered by his army. In one of them the soldiers had seized, with all the worship valuable items, a vase whose dimension and beauty made it particularly remarkable. The bishop of the despoiled church required its return for lack of the remainder.
”Come with us to Soissons” answers Clovis to the messenger “because it is there that all the spoils will be shared. When the vase falls to me, I will give the bishop complete satisfaction”.

Once in Soissons in front of all the spoils gathered: ”Gallant combatants” he says, “I ask you to give up to me, in addition to my share, the vase that I point out ". The sensible men answer him: “All that we can see is yours, glorious king, and we are subjected to your authority. Now do as you please, nobody can resist to you ".Under the circumstances, there was nothing more to say when an ill-considered soldier, envious and impulsive, struck the vase with his axe while shouting: “You will only receive what the fate will really give you”. In the middle of the general amazement caused by this action, the king kept in mind patiently the affront, took the vase back and gave it to the messenger while keeping his hidden wound deeply in his heart.

The year over, he convened the army to the Field of Mars to check the good condition of each one’s weapons. Circulating in the rows, he comes in front of the one who had struck the vase:” Nobody brought weapons as badly maintained as yours”, he says,” neither your javelin, nor your sword, nor your axe are worthless». And having seized the man’s axe, he threw it on the ground. While he was leaning forward to collect it, the king, grabbed his own axe and stabbed him in the head saying: “You treated the vase of Soissons like this”.

Bibliography: adapted from

• Grégoire de Tours « The history of the Franks »
• The Baptism of Clovis, Paris, Gallimard p52
• “The history of Soissons and the villages of the Soissonnais by G.Brunel et D.Defente.

Marvellous scenery
The Soissonnais area extends from the L’Ailette valley in the North to the forest of Retz in the South. The landscape is dominated by vast agricultural extents, grey stone villages with their houses of graduated pinions called “sparrows’ steps”. Country of limestone and white stone, the Soissonnais area is proud of a rich and varied heritage: Romanesque and Gothic churches like those of Vailly-on-Aisne or Braine, old barns, washtubs, fountains, keeps as in Vic-on-Aisne or in Septmonts, castles such as those in Blérancourt, Coucy or Fère-in-Tardenois, which inspired the greatest writers such as Racine in La Ferté Milon, Dumas in Villers-Cotterêts or Hugo in Soissons.

The capital of the first Merovingian kings, then of the Nord-Ile de France General Army, Soissons preserved of its past an important heritage which brought the city to be listed “Art and History”.

A rich cultural past
Its history starts on the plateau dominating the Aisne valley, site of the old Gallic city. If the city still has some vestiges of the Roman time, in fact the most beautiful architectural examples left come from the Middle Age : crypts of the Saint Médard and Saint-Leger abbeys, the Saint-Gervais and Saint-Protais cathedral which is a reference in the evolution of the Gothic architecture in Picardy, the Saint-Jean des Vignes abbey, the most spectacular monument of Soissons.

The century of industry left some interesting features: the installations around the Republic Square with the corn exchange or even the market hall. In a neo-Byzantine style, Sainte-Eugenie church proposes, in addition to a typical architecture of the second half of the 19th century, a set of glass wall from Auguste Labouret, the precursor of the stained flagstone glass, crimped with cement (1930-1950).

The central square, dominated by the bedside of the cathedral, is particularly representative of the diversity and richness of the Soissonnais heritage: it offers to the eyes of the visitors eight centuries of architecture and history.

A rich natural breeding ground
Soissons devotes an important place to green and flowery spaces with many parks. Among them, the garden of the Horticulture Association, a park planted with rare species, which forms with the Republic Square, a urban space typical of the 19th century.
Saint-Pierre Square emphasizes the last remnants of Our Lady Abbey: we can find there the ancient Romanesque Saint-Pierre church with a square dated the 12th century. Saint Crépin Park offers a remarkable walk to rediscover the origins of Soissons: archery, old bridge, Saint Crépin’s legend. Along the riverside, the classical façade of the Town Hall is emphasized by the formal garden. The “Bird Tree Park” offers six hectares of various sports and leisure equipment.

The city centre strongly damaged by the First World War air raids, was rebuilt in a less dense way, typical of the twenties, as the Egyptian or the neo-renaissance house can testify.

The Aisne River crosses the heart of the town and allows to discover Soissons and its area in an original way.

Come and visit our city!