Soissons, city in northern France, in Aisne Department, on the Aisne River. Situated in a productive farming area, it is a commercial and manufacturing center; products include metal and rubber goods, machinery, and processed food. The city's principal building is the Cathedral of Saint Gervais et Saint Protais, mainly constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries. Other points of interest include the remains of the Abbey of Saint Jean des Vignes (11th century), in which the 12th-century English prelate Saint Thomas à Becket found refuge during his exile from England; the 8th-century Abbey of Saint Médard; and the Abbey of Saint Léger (11th century to 12th century), now housing a museum.
Soissons is one of the most ancient cities of France. In Roman times it bore the names of Noviodunum, Augusta Suessionum, and Suessiona. It became a bishopric in the 3rd century, and it was the capital of several Merovingian kings (5th century to 7th century). Soissons is famous for the victory (AD 486) here of the Merovingian king Clovis I over Syagrius, a former Roman governor who had made himself ruler of a territory in northern Gaul. The city was damaged during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and again during the religious wars of the late 16th century. In 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars, Soissons changed hands several times, and in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, it was shelled and captured by the Germans. The city also suffered German attacks in the two world wars. Population (1999) 29,453.
