Saint Gontrand, also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third-eldest and second-eldest-surviving son of Chlothar I and Ingunda. On his father's death in 561, he became king of a fourth of the Kingdom of the Franks, and made his capital at Orléans. The name "Gontrand" denotes "War Raven".
A tremissis bearing Guntram's effigy and minted at Chalon-sur-Saône
Later statue depicting Gontrand
The Frankish Realm in 561, after the death of Clothar I
King St. Gontrand and Childebert II, from the Grandes Chroniques de France
Soissons is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones. Soissons is also the see of an ancient Roman Catholic diocese, whose establishment dates from about 300, and it was the location of a number of church synods called "Council of Soissons".
City hall
Panorama of Soissons in ruins in 1919
Panoramic view of the Cathedral
The ruins of the Abbey of St Jean des Vignes.
