AMIENS

AMIENS is a town in northern France. It was the old capital of Picardy, on the Somme, with a cathedral begun in 1220, described as the "Parthenon of Gothic architecture," and by Ruskin as "Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable". The city possesses other buildings of interest. It was the birthplace of Peter the Hermit, and is celebrated for a treaty of peace between France and England concluded in 1802.