SAINT-QUENTIN

city, Aisne dpartement, Picardie rgion, northeastern France. The city is situated on the slopes of a hill on the right bank of the Somme River at its junction with the Canal de Saint-Quentin. The Gothic collegiate church of Saint-Quentin (13th to 15th century; restored after World War I) has a fine 13th-century nave built over the tomb of Gaius Quentinius (St. Quentin), a 3rd-century martyr. The Antoine Lcuyer Museum houses a good collection of pastels by the 18th-century artist Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, who was born in the town. The city's entomological museum has one of the richest collections of its kind in Europe. A wool centre since the Middle Ages, Saint-Quentin now also produces synthetic textiles. Other industries include the manufacturing of electrical and mechanical machinery. The Saint-Quentin Canal, largely supplanted by the Canal du Nord (opened in 1965), is still used for transporting coal, industrial products, and grain to the Paris region. An important medieval pilgrimage town, Saint-Quentin was besieged in 1557 by the Spanish, and in 1871 it was captured by the Germans during the Franco-German War. It was almost completely destroyed in 1918 in World War I. Pop. (1990) 62,085.