Early history The
Diocese of Laon was established by archbishop
Remigius of
Reims at the end of the fifth century. Presumably, an early church was erected soon afterward. Laon soon became one of the principal towns of the
Frankish Empire. A later church building, dating from the tenth or eleventh centuries, was torched during the Easter Insurrection on 25 April 1112. The merchants and bourgeoisie of Laon had procured a
communal charter, which was soon revoked by
Bishop Gaudry. The commune revolted, murdering the bishop. The
episcopal palace was set alight; the fire soon spread to the cathedral. Afterward, the peasant population took the opportunity to pillage the town. Three months after the insurrection, members of the clergy at Laon toured France and England with relics belonging to the bishopric. Using funds raised from the tour, the church was reconstructed and consecrated on August 20, 1114, under
Barthélemy de Jur. However, as the population of Laon grew, it soon became clear that a larger cathedral was necessary. Laon's economy was booming, and
Anselm of Laon's school of theology and exegesis was becoming one of the most acclaimed in Europe. Additionally, Laon's communal charter was reestablished in 1130. By the late 1150s, construction on the current cathedral had begun under Gautier de Mortagne; it was essentially completed by 1230.
Current building The present Laon Cathedral dates from the 12th and early 13th centuries, an early example of the
Gothic style that originated in northern France. It was built half a century after the erection of the
Basilica of Saint-Denis, which originated the Gothic style. Construction on Laon Cathedral began with the
choir and portions of both
transepts between approximately 1160 and 1170. By 1180, the transept arms were finished and the eastern portion of the
nave was erected. In the next phase of construction, lasting until the end of the century, the nave and most of the massive western
façade were completed. Shortly after, the Chapel des Fonts,
cloister, and
chapter house were built onto the south side of the nave. Next, spurred by the donation of a local quarry in 1205, the original choir was dismantled and the current, larger choir was constructed by 1220. Soon after, the treasury and
sacristy were built at the junctures of the choir and transepts, along with a large chapel extending from the southeastern end of the choir. Over the century, additional chapels were built off the aisles of the nave and the choir. Finally, the south transept's façade was remodelled in the early fourteenth century, resulting in the current twin doors and tracery window.
Later history Laon lost its status as a bishopric during the
French Revolution. Following the
Concordat of 1802, the building has functioned as a parish church under the
Diocese of Soissons. The cathedral was modified extensively during the nineteenth century. The tower foundations were rebuilt with masonry to prevent them from collapsing. The
flying buttresses attached to the nave and transepts were rebuilt to match those bracing the choir. An ornate but structurally artificial upper extension of the cathedral's front facade of unknown date was removed; it was replaced by a
balustrade and the current
Madonna and Child statue. Open doorways that historically had pierced the walls between the west entry
portals were blocked in. Most notably, many of the medieval sculptural programs on the western facade were heavily altered. By this time, fissures had appeared in the upper walls at the west end of the nave. To help counteract this problem, a low arch was constructed, crossing to nave near the entry portals. In 1899, timber flooring was installed between the towers in the west end of the nave to accommodate the installation of the current
organ. The low structural arch became the platform's east support. This project remains controversial, as the organ pipes currently block the lower western windows and half of the rose window. However, the older and much smaller stone organ platform still survives under the current timber construction. Although the cathedral suffered some damage during the French Revolution and the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it escaped both World Wars unharmed. ==Architecture==