Saint-Omer (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.t‿omɛʁ] ⓘ; West Flemish: Sint-Omaars; Picard: Saint-Onmé) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France.

[4] The canalised section of the river Aa begins at Saint-Omer, reaching the North Sea at Gravelines in northern France.

Saint-Omer first appeared in the writings during the 7th century under the name of Sithiu (Sithieu or Sitdiu), around the Saint-Bertin abbey founded on the initiative of Audomar, (Odemaars or Omer).

[5] Rivalry and dissension, which lasted till the French Revolution, soon sprang up between the two monasteries, becoming especially virulent when in 1559 St Omer became a bishopric and Notre-Dame was raised to the rank of cathedral.

Situated on the borders of territories frequently disputed by French, Flemish, English and Spaniards, St Omer for most of its history continued to be subject to sieges and military invasions.

Ferdinand did not take this lying down, and allied with Emperor Otto IV and John, King of England, he battled Philip II at Bouvines, but was defeated.

Former students of the College of Saint Omer include John Carroll, his brother Daniel and his cousin Charles.

During World War I on 8 October 1914, the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) arrived in Saint-Omer and a headquarters was established at the aerodrome next to the local race course.

Although most squadrons only used Saint-Omer as a transit camp before moving on to other locations, the base grew in importance as it increased its logistic support to the RFC.

Several other churches or convent chapels are of interest, among them St Sepulchre (14th century), which has a stone spire and stained-glass windows.

A collection of records, a picture gallery, and a theatre are all situated in the town hall, built of the materials from the abbey of St Bertin.

[12] Today, the remaining statues of people associated with the city: Over the better part of the last century, the economy of Saint Omer had depended largely on one enterprise, that of the glass maker Arc International[16] (situated in the neighbouring town of Arques).

The nearby blockhouse at Éperlecques and underground complex of La Coupole were built for this purpose and are open to the public.

[24] In the Southeast of the cathedral is a newly formed Turkish neighborhood; the majority of the local Turks are members of the Christian faith (i.e. Greek Orthodox or of ethnic Greek origin, Eastern Rite and Catholic converts), who arrived in France after World War I to escape religious persecution.

Genealogists have noted the many cultural influences in the area, including British, Dutch, German, Austrian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak and Polish.

It is believed the region's mining and glass manufacturing[25] industries contributed to a revived post-war (WWI and WWII era) population.

A number of experts assisted in authenticating the folio, which also had a name, "Neville", written on the first surviving page, indicating that it may have once been owned by Edward Scarisbrick.

Scarisbrick had fled England due to anti-Catholic repression and attended Saint-Omer College, a Jesuit institution.

[28] Confirmation of its authenticity came from a professor at the University of Nevada and one of the world's foremost authorities on Shakespeare, Eric Rasmussen, who happened to be in London at the time.