The Abbey of St. Bertin was a Benedictine monastic abbey in Saint-Omer, France. The buildings are now in ruins, which are open to the public. It was initially dedicated to but was rededicated to its second abbot, . The abbey is known for its Latin cartulary (') whose first part is attributed to . The abbey was founded on the banks of the Aa in the 7th century by Bishop

Audomar Saint Audomar (died 670), better known as Saint Omer, was a bishop of Thérouanne, after whom nearby Saint-Omer in northern France was named. Biography He was born of a distinguished family of Coutances, then under the Frankish realm of Neust ...

of Thérouanne, who is now better known as . He sent the monks

Bertin Bertin ( la, Bertinus; 615 – ''c''. 709 AD), also known as Saint Bertin the Great, was the Franks, Frankish abbot of a monastery in Saint-Omer later named the Abbey of Saint Bertin after him. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Ort ...

, Momelin, and Ebertram from Sithiu (now St-Omer) to proselytize among the

pagans Pagans may refer to: * Paganism, a group of pre-Christian religions practiced in the Roman Empire * Modern Paganism, a group of contemporary religious practices * Order of the Vine, a druidic faction in the ''Thief'' video game series * Pagan's ...

in the region. The abbey soon became one of the most influential monasteries in northern Europe and ranked in importance with Elnon (now

St-Amand Abbey Saint-Amand Abbey (''Abbaye de Saint-Amand''), once known as Elno, Elnon or Elnone Abbey, is a former Benedictine abbey in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, Nord, France. History The abbey was founded around 633-639 in what was once a great tract of uninh ...

) and . Its library included the

codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

of the

Leiden Aratea Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek, VLQ 79, also called the Leiden Aratea, is an illuminated copy of an astronomical treatise by Germanicus, based on the ''Phaenomena'' of Aratus. The manuscript was created in the region of Lorraine and has been da ...

, from which two copies were made. The

Annals of St Bertin ''Annales Bertiniani'' (''Annals of Saint Bertin'') are late Carolingian, Frankish annals that were found in the Abbey of Saint Bertin, Saint-Omer, France, after which they are named. Their account is taken to cover the period 830-82, thus continu ...

are an important source of the history of 9th-century France. Already in the 9th century, the abbey had a priory in Poperinge. A Romanesque church was constructed in the mid-11th century.Some carved capitals and fragments of mosaics from this structure are conserved in the museum in Hôtel Sandelin, St-Omer. It was high with a tower. It included a large 14th-century semi-circular sanctuary with five side-chapels. It served as a model for the church, whose construction was not completed until the beginning of the 16th century. Bishop

Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Minne ...

of Ramsbury was a monk at the abbey from 1055 to 1058, having abandoned his duties but not his title, which he resumed upon his election as bishop of Sherborne. From 1106, the abbey had the right of appointing the priests at

Lissewege Lissewege is a village and a subdivision in the municipality of Bruges, Belgium. Lissewege also includes Zeebrugge and Zwankendamme. See also *West Flanders West Flanders ( nl, West-Vlaanderen ; vls, West Vloandern; french: (Province de) Fland ...

and Ruiselede. William Clito was buried here in 1128. The abbey had a 'refuge-house' in the now-demolished Sint-Lodewijkscollege in Bruges. The abbey ceased to flourish after the 13th century, although it survived until its closure during the French Revolution. In 1830, the commune ordered the demolition of the church, though they spared the tower. The buttress they erected to support it is still visible, although the tower itself collapsed in 1947 owing to damage sustained in the shelling of the town during World War II. St-Omer's town hall was constructed with stone removed from the site in 1834.

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Saint Bertin Bertin ( la, Bertinus; 615 – ''c''. 709 AD), also known as Saint Bertin the Great, was the Frankish abbot of a monastery in Saint-Omer later named the Abbey of Saint Bertin after him. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox Ch ...

7th-century establishments in Francia

Ruins in Hauts-de-France Burial sites of the House of Normandy Burial sites of the Herbertien dynasty Saint-Omer Monuments historiques of Pas-de-Calais 1830 disestablishments in France