Saint-Omer, ville d'art et d'histoire...
Les Monuments - Aéroclub de Saint-Omer - L'USSO
		The Library This building replaces one of the old buildings of the college of the Walloon Jesuits which went back to 1590. The project adopted by the Municipality at the end of the year 1891 was that presented by the architect calaisien Decroix. It proposed a building including/understanding a first level reserved for the classes of the college, a second for the library and a third of less importance, or attic, for the files. The frontage designed by Decroix shows invention and richness even if one can detect reminiscences there. The combined use of the stone and brick points out the style Louis XIII indeed. Above the gate, the balcony and the candelabra which flank it, the small arcades of the attic, the moulding with hoops of the first level belong to the Rebirth while the embossing and the command corinthien which rythment the ordinance are imitated of XVIIe century.
It is also necessary to note the idea of contrast between the first and the second level as well as the broad and vigorous processing of this one. Its immense bays light a vast room where the woodworks of the library of the Saint-Bertin abbey were re-installed. The third level, by the overload of its decoration and the complication of its pediments somewhat weakens the effect of this beautiful composition. In the cartridges which rythment the attic with the right of the pilasters, are engraved the names of scientists audomarois that the municipality wanted to honour: Simon Ogier, Latin poet of XVIe century; Jean Hendricq, chronicler of XVIe century; the father Jesuit Jacques Malbrancq, historian of Morinie (1579-1653); Pierre Allent, par of France (1772-1837); Jean-Baptiste Caventou, celebrates chemist, inventor of quinine (1795-1877).
				The room of the funds old contains approximately 40 000 volumes. Its 1700 manuscripts and 193 incunables come in major part of the Saint-Bertin abbeys and Clairmarais. The library preserves, moreover, a specimen of the volume first of the Bible of Gutenberg known as " Bible with quarante-deux lines ". The files contain the original of the famous charter of stamping from 1127 conceded with the Commune by Guillaume Cliton, count de Flandre. In XIXe century, the large one of the notaries audomarois came to enrich a deposit already very significant.