In 641 Saint
Sadalberga, sister of Saint
Leudinus Bodo, disciple of Saint
Eustace, second
abbot of Luxeuil, and widow of
Saint Blandinus, retired to Laon, where she founded a nunnery outside the city walls, south of the town. The dedication was to Our Lady ("Notre-Dame"), the same as that of
Laon Cathedral. The community grew rapidly to some 300 nuns. Sadalberga then made it a
double monastery. She was herself the first abbess. The second abbess was her daughter, Saint
Anstrudis. The abbey had initially followed an adaptation of the demanding
Rule of St. Columbanus but later adopted the
Rule of St. Benedict. In 1128 the nuns were replaced by a community of Benedictine monks. At around the same time the dedication changed from Our Lady to Saint
John the Baptist. The abbey was partly destroyed in the wars against the
Huguenots, but rebuilt in the 17th century. In 1648 it was taken over by the
Maurists. The buildings were renovated from 1742. In 1766 the monastery was suppressed. The college of Laon moved into the premises in 1781. In 1800 the prefect of the
department of Aisne took the complex over and today the entire prefecture stands on the site. The physical remains of the former abbey include some
buttresses built into the city wall, parts of a church portal and the 18th-century cloister. It is commemorated in the street name "Rue du Cloître Saint-Jean". ==References==