Former Hôtel-Dieu

You’ve reached Aubry square, with a sublime view of the imposing cathedral on one side and the Picardy plains on the other. Before I tell you more about Notre-Dame de Laon, let me draw your attention to the building on your right. Today, it’s the House of Arts and Leisure, but it once was the Hôtel-Dieu. Just to remind you, an Hôtel-Dieu was a charitable hospital, generally founded by a king or lord and run by a religious order; it would take in pilgrims, the homeless and the poorest of the poor. Up until around the 16th century, being poor wasn’t thought of as shameful; after all, it meant that you were closer to Jesus. But in the 16th century, amidst the precariousness of the countryside, the general crisis and the wars of religion, the poor became a social threat. The royal power then prevailed over that of the bishops, and admittedly, all the Hôtel-Dieu fell into decay. This one, listed as a historical monument, dates back to the 13th century. In 1209, the canons bought the house you see before you, which stood opposite the bishop’s palace. They then transferred the Hôtel-Dieu there, as it was starting to become too cramped in its first location. You can actually see the site that housed the very first Hôtel-Dieu on the cathedral forecourt, where the tourist office is now located.