Abbey of Saint-Martin

You’re looking at yet another testament to Laon’s medieval past: the Abbey of Saint-Martin. And it’s quite imposing! It was built in 1124, on the initiative of the bishop of Laon and Saint Norbert, who had founded the Premonstratensian monastery 20 km away. He then brought 12 canons regular from Prémontré to the center of Laon. The abbey’s wealth was mainly due to the exploitation of the surrounding vineyards and it was rather significant in medieval times. Its Gothic façade features not a rose window, but a large bay window, above which, on the pediment, you can see the figure of Saint-Martin protecting a beggar with his cloak. The construction of the abbey spanned over several centuries, including among other things the addition of an elegant residence for the abbot in the 17th century. The cloister and east wing -featuring a superb staircase that today leads to the library- were added after 1730. Inside the church, you can admire beautiful 18th-century woodwork, two recumbent statues and a recently-discovered 14th-century nativity scene. After the French Revolution, the buildings were converted into an Hôtel-Dieu up until 1970. The hospital is still in operation today, as is the municipal library. The whole complex is listed as a historical monument.