Doullens (; ; former ) is a commune in the Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France.
Its inhabitants are called Doullennais and Doullennaises.
Geography
Doullens is situated on the N25 road, in the northern part of the department, straddling the river Authie, the border with the
Pas-de-Calais. Doullens is practically mid-way on the intersection of these axes :
History
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Doullens, the ancient Dulincum, was seat of a viscountship under the counts of Vermandois then of Ponthieu and an important stronghold in the Middle Ages.
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In 1225, the town became part of France.
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In 1475 it was burnt by Louis XI for openly siding with the Duke of Burgundy.
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In 1595 it was besieged and occupied by the Spaniards, who massacred the entire population. It was restored to France by the Peace of Vervins (1598).
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On 26 March 1918, orders giving General Ferdinand Foch overall command of the allied forces on the western front were signed at the Doullens Conference in the Hôtel de Ville (town hall). The orders were subsequently published in The Times of London.
Sites and monuments
Sites and monuments include:
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the ruins of Saint-Pierre, partly of the 13th century, used as a barn in the nineteenth century.
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Notre-Dame church.
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An early 17th century brick Bell tower. In 2005, the belfry was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, because of its architecture and historical testimony to the rise of municipal power in the area.
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the citadel, possibly built by Vauban or Jean Errard, which has often served as a state prison, and later, a reformatory for girls.
Town motto
Infinita decus lilia mihi prestant
Population
Notable residents
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The artist Édouard Traviès was born in Doullens in 1809.
[Bellier de La Chavignerie, Émile and Auvray, Louis (1885). Dictionnaire général des artistes de l'École française depuis l'origine des arts du dessin jusqu'à nos jours, Vol. 2, p. 588. Librairie Renouard ]
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Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine was imprisoned in the Doullens citadel from 1718 until 1720 for his part in the Cellamare conspiracy.
[D'Harmonville, A. (ed.) (1845). Dictionnaire des dates, des faits, des lieux et des hommes historiques, Vol. 2, p. 255. Alphonse Levavasseur et Cie ]
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The nobleman Emmanuel Marie Michel Philippe Fréteau de Saint-Just was imprisoned in the citadel in 1788.
[Assemblée nationale de France. "Emmanuel, Marie, Michel, Philippe Fréteau de Saint-Just" Retrieved 15 May 2017 ]
==Gallery==
See also
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Communes of the Somme department
Sources
External links
