Noyon is situated in the region of Picardy, just 60 miles north of Paris and between Amiens to the north-west and Reims to the south-east. It lies on the Oise canal and administratively is also in the department of Oise. Noyon is a historic town, founded by the Gallo-Romans. Back in 768 AD Charlemagne was crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor in the cathedral and then in 987 AD Hugh Capet was crowned the first Capet king there. Later fire destroyed the cathedral and the present early Gothic building dates from the 12th and 13th century. Noyon’s most famous son is Jean Calvin who was born here in 1509 and in the town centre is a museum dedicated to his life. Noyon boasts one of the oldest town halls in France, a very distinctive building with an attractive Renaissance façade.
A fine concert hall is witness to the town’s commitment to music. Local musical groups such as the ‘Harmonie’ orchestra often entertain us on twinning visits and have also participated in exchange visits to Hexham, along with other artists and craftspeople.
Noyon is a town of some 18,000 inhabitants, just a little larger than Hexham. It makes a good base to visit other parts of north-eastern France, such as the cities of Amiens, Beauvais, Laon and Reims, as well as the First World War battlefields and cemeteries of the Somme and the Chemin des Dames. Even the vineyards of Champagne are not too distant. On town-twinning visits our hosts have taken us to many places of local interest such as Compiègne, Senlis, Pierrefonds and St Quentin.
Images from the top: the arms of Picardy by Superbenjamin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0. The cloister of the Cathedral of Noyon © Office de Tourisme, Noyon.
