SOIGNIES

(French), Flemish Zinnik town (commune), Hainaut province, south-central Belgium. It lies along the Senne River, just northeast of Mons. There was a Roman castrum (fortress) at the site, and the town was said to have been founded in the 7th century by St. Vincent, who built a monastery there. A procession during Pentecost honours St. Vincent. The former conventual church (10th13th century), one of Belgium's best-preserved Romanesque buildings, dominates the town; vestiges of the cloister (959) and Renaissance-era choir stalls are noteworthy. The Old Cemetery serves as a public park and contains a Romanesque chapel, which now houses an archaeological and lapidary museum. Limestone quarries are worked nearby, and there is a hollow-glass factory. Pop. (1992 est.) mun., 23,954.