Notre-Dame Cathedral

You’re standing in front of the beautiful Notre-Dame de Laon. Commissioned by Bishop Gauthier de Mortagne, it was one of the first major Gothic buildings in France, predating the Notre-Dame in Paris! The cathedral before you was built between the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It was preceded, however, by another cathedral, consecrated in 800 in the presence of Charlemagne himself! Because, you see, the greatest Carolingian emperor had Lannois heritage! His mother, Bertha Broadfoot, was a local, and it is said that the great Charlemagne was actually conceived here, despite being born in Aachen. In Carolingian times, Laon was at its best, and by the 10th century, it was the capital of the Carolingian kings. In the 11th century, a new Romanesque church was built, only to be burnt down during the city’s uprising. And so, in 1155, began the construction of a truly great cathedral for the diocese of Laon, born from a fraction of the diocese of Reims. Early plans called for the cathedral to have seven towers. It ended up having five, one of which was topped by a bell tower. Save yourself the trouble of searching, it was demolished during the Revolution. It was no doubt an important cathedral in its heyday. The King of the Franks, Louis IV d’Outremer, was even crowned here! Feel free to take a look inside! Its 4-level elevation gives it a majestic yet airy feel. At the transept crossing, you’ll see the lantern tower, which, as its name suggests, illuminates the cathedral’s interior with natural light which is quite rare in France. It’s found in Normandy, but otherwise it’s a technique mostly seen in English Gothic architecture. If you’d like to further explore the cathedral, or rather take your visit to the next level, you can purchase a ticket that will give you access to the cathedral’s balconies, where you can get a closer look at the magnificent details of its sculptures – including the famous oxen on the towers. Can you see them from where you stand? Look for them on the upper levels of the towers, with their horns silhouetted against the sky and their heads turned towards you, as if they’re watching over the city from above, 56 metres to be exact. It’s a tribute to the work of the oxen that brought the stones to the construction site atop the hill. Well… that’s the official version. But for those of you into legends, in Laon the story goes that one day, during the restoration of the church after the Easter Rising of 1112, an ox pulling a cart far too heavy for him dropped dead. The worried locals cried out, believing it to be a bad omen! But suddenly, out of nowhere, a majestic white ox appeared, replaced his predecessor in front of the cart and moved forward, carrying the stones to their destination. The happy townspeople wanted to thank the animal, but it had disappeared just as it had appeared! So, to honor it properly, they erected 8 ox statues atop the towers.