_On leaving the Cathedral, follow the itinerary on page 13._
The surroundings of Soissons, like the cathedral, suffered severely
from the bombardments. In the Place de la Cathédrale (or Place
Mantoue), the Rue des Minimes and the Place du Cloître are =broken
roofs=, and in the Rue du Beffroi, =ruins= of houses.
[Illustration: 13th. CENTURY TURRET
_Place de la Cathédrale_.]
At n^o 6 of the Place de la Cathédrale, in front of the bombarded
Presbytery, stands a much damaged 13th century =tower= (_photo
opposite_) all that remains of the old Bishop’s Palace, rebuilt in
1638, of brick and stone, at the south of the Place between the Rue de
l’Évêché and the Rue des Minimes.
In the court of the Bishop’s Palace (_reached through the Rue de
l’Évêché_), near the Rue des Minimes, there still stand about 15 yards
of the old =Gallo-Roman wall= which surrounded the town (_hist. mon._)
The wall has a facing of dressed stone interrupted at frequent
intervals by a string-course of red bricks.
_To reach the Place du Cloître take the Rue de l’Évêché, round the
chevet of the Cathedral._
[Illustration: PLACE DE LA CATHÉDRALE AND RUE DU BEFFROI.]
[Illustration: THE PLACE DU CLOÎTRE IN 1914.]
The =Place du Cloître=, at right angles to the north portal of the
Cathedral, was formerly lined by the houses of the Canons. Of these old
dwellings there remain =three bays in tierce-point= (13th century), on
the first story of a house (_N_^o 14) in the _Place_ (_on the left of
the photographs on this page_).
Opposite are two =Renaissance façades=.
Most of the houses in the _Place_ were badly damaged by shells aimed at
the cathedral.
Fortunately, these three remarkable façades escaped injury.
[Illustration: THE PLACE DU CLOÎTRE IN 1918.]
[Illustration: THE RUE DU COLLÈGE.]
_Take the Rue du Collège on the left_, devastated by incendiary bombs
from aeroplanes (_photo opposite_); at the end of a blind alley stands
the =door of the college= (_hist. mon._) (_Photo below_) built between
1740 and 1760.
[Illustration: THE DOOR OF THE COLLEGE.]
[Illustration: THE GRAND’PLACE AND THEATRE.]
Doric pillars support a large frontal with decorative carving
representing _Pallas_ and _Ceres_.
This door is intact, but the college buildings suffered severely.
Several shells penetrated the walls and roofing, exploding in the
dormitories and class-rooms and destroying all before them.
_Follow the Rue du Collège as far as the Rue des Cordeliers_ (_first
on the right_) _which leads to the_ =Grand’Place= (_photo below_).
Here are 18th century houses (_N_^{os} 9-11), the early 19th century
=theatre= and a late 19th century ornamental =fountain=.
The theatre suffered severely from bombardment, its roof being
completely destroyed, but the fountain escaped injury.
[Illustration: SAINT-LÉGER CHURCH AND VICINITY.]
_Take the rue Saint-Léger as far as the Church of Saint-Léger, the
houses round about which have been destroyed_ (_photo above_).