Laon Cathedral facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Laon Cathedral |
|
|---|---|
|
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon (French)
|
|
West front
|
|
| 49°33′51″N 3°37′30″E / 49.5643°N 3.625°E | |
| Location | Laon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church (formerly cathedral) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Cathedral |
| Style | French Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1150 |
| Completed | 1235 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Soissons (formerly Laon) |
Laon Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon) is a beautiful Roman Catholic church in Laon, France. It was built a long time ago, between the 12th and 13th centuries. This makes it a great example of early Gothic architecture, a famous style of building.
For many years, it was the main church for the Diocese of Laon. Since 1840, it has been recognized as a special historical building called a monument historique.
Contents
A Look Back: The Cathedral's History
How the Cathedral Started
The area around Laon became a church district in the late 400s. People believe an early church was built there soon after. Laon quickly became an important town in the Frankish Empire.
Later, in 1112, an older church building from the 10th or 11th century was burned down. This happened during a revolt by the town's people. The bishop had taken away their special town rights, and they were very angry. After the fire, the church was rebuilt. It was finished and blessed in 1114.
However, Laon was growing fast. Its economy was doing well, and a famous school of learning was attracting many students. So, people realized they needed an even bigger cathedral. Around the late 1150s, work began on the church you see today. It was mostly finished by 1230.
Building the Current Cathedral
The Laon Cathedral we see now was built in the 12th and early 13th centuries. It's an early example of the Gothic style, which started in northern France. Building began with the choir (the area where the singers sit) and parts of the transepts (the arms of the cross shape) around 1160-1170.
By 1180, the transept arms were done, and the eastern part of the nave (the main seating area) was built. In the next stage, the rest of the nave and the large western facade (front) were completed. Later, a new, larger choir was built by 1220. Over time, more small chapels were added. The south transept's front was also updated in the early 1300s.
What Happened Later?
Laon Cathedral stopped being a bishop's main church during the French Revolution. After 1802, it became a regular parish church.
The cathedral was changed quite a bit in the 1800s. Some parts were rebuilt to make them stronger. An old, fancy top part of the front was removed and replaced with a balustrade and a statue of the Madonna and Child. Many of the old sculptures on the western front were also changed.
Cracks appeared in the upper walls of the nave. To help fix this, a low arch was built inside. In 1899, a wooden floor was put in for the current organ. This organ now blocks some of the lower windows and half of the beautiful rose window.
Even though it had some damage during the French Revolution and a war in 1870, the cathedral was lucky. It survived both World Wars without harm.
Exploring the Cathedral's Design
Laon Cathedral is one of the most detailed and well-preserved early French Gothic cathedrals. It's special because its style stayed very consistent throughout its construction. The church has a cruciform (cross-shaped) layout. It has a main nave, transepts, and a choir, all with side aisles. Many small chapels stick out from the outer walls.
The nave has twelve sections, and the choir has ten. Both transepts have four sections. A central tower, called a lantern tower, rises over the middle where the nave and transepts meet. This tower helps light up the inside. The ceilings over the choir and nave have a special six-part design called sexpartite vaulting. The transept ceilings have a four-part design.
Inside the Cathedral: Levels and Views
The inside of Laon Cathedral has four levels. At the bottom are the side aisles. Above them is a tribune (a gallery) with double arches. Then comes a shorter triforium (another passageway) with triple arches. Finally, at the top, are the clerestory windows, which let in light.
These middle passageways go all the way around the building. This design was also used in other old cathedrals. The tallness of the interior is highlighted by thin columns that rise from the tops of the main columns. These thin columns switch between groups of three and five.
Unique Features: Choir and Windows
Most Gothic churches have a rounded end at the choir, but Laon's choir ends with a flat wall. The original choir was shorter and had a more typical rounded end. However, it was taken down and replaced in the early 1200s with the longer, current choir. This new choir fit the cathedral better.
Each end of the church has a beautiful rose window, except for the south transept. The south transept has a huge arched window with decorative stone patterns called tracery. This window replaced the original rose window in the early 1300s. The fronts of both transepts have twin entry doors. The west front of the cathedral is known for its deep doorways and impressive design.
-
Portals
-
Floor plan
-
Crossing tower
_01.JPG)
The Cathedral's Towers
The builders planned to have seven towers, but only five were completed. These include the square central tower over the crossing, and two towers on the western front. There are also two towers on the transepts. The transepts were meant to have more towers, but they were never finished.
The completed towers (except the central one) have two vaulted rooms stacked on top of each other. They change from square at the bottom to eight-sided at the top. A medieval artist named Villard de Honnecourt drew detailed pictures of one of Laon's towers around 1230. He thought they were perfect examples of Gothic design. The two western towers have life-size stone statues of sixteen oxen in their upper parts. These statues seem to honor the oxen that helped pull materials during the cathedral's construction.
Beautiful Stained Glass Windows
Most of the cathedral's stained glass windows are from the 13th century, with some additions from the 1800s. Among the old windows are three tall, narrow windows at the east end, above the choir. The right window shows scenes from the life of Mary and Jesus' childhood. The middle window continues Jesus' story, from his entry into Jerusalem to his ascension. The left window shows scenes from the legend of Theophilus of Adana and the story of Saint Stephen.
The large rose window above these three windows is dedicated to Mary. It also has twelve round pictures of the apostles and twenty-four pictures of the Four and Twenty Elders from the Book of Revelation. The rose window in the north transept is different. It shows pictures representing different subjects like grammar, dialectic (logic), rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
-
West rose
-
North rose
-
East windows
-
South window
Interesting People Connected to Laon Cathedral
- Theologian Anselm of Laon was a leader at the cathedral in the early 12th century.
- Composer Pierre Dumage was the organ player here from 1710 to 1719.
- Artist Robert Delaunay painted the cathedral towers in his 1912 work Les Tours de Laon. This painting showed his move towards a more abstract art style.
See also
In Spanish: Catedral de Laon para niños
- Early Gothic architecture
- Gothic cathedrals and churches
- French Gothic architecture
- French Gothic stained glass windows
- List of Gothic Cathedrals in Europe
