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Latest Laon hotel reviews
Go Over to the Church of St.-Martin
hquittner Says: At the other end of town from the Cathedral is the Abbey church of St.-Martin, also built in the 12-13C and reconstructed after WWII bombing. It has a long Romanesque nave and is taller than the cathedral. Its towers on the West terminate in spires. The facade on that end is...
hquittner Says: In the town there are narrow streets and some old houses with some nice vistas from the promenades (See our Intro).
See the Cathedral Interior Refinements
hquittner Says: Other than the early Gothic structure, the church interior has only a few elements of interest. There is the elongated choir preceded by a grill, the finely carved pulpit of 1681, an 18C organ at the west end and long aisle with shallow chapel added.. Unfortunately we have...
hquittner Says: The interior achieves its Gothic look by virtue of its height and well-lit interior. It is 4-story with round arched nave arcades supported on sturdy round pillars. There is a tall gallery-tribune which is encased in the supporting interior buttresses. Above this is a blind...
hquittner Says: Building of the present cathedral started in the second part of the 12C. It was built rapidly and the builders employed the latest technics (the beginnings of the Gothic). All of this came about probably out of remorse after the townspeople had murdered their hated...
firechick Says: When we arrived on our spur of the moment visit, we liked the city so much, we decided to try to spend the night there. Fate had other ideas, however as there was a European Union conference of some sort being held, and every single hotel in town was completely full. It was...
hquittner Says: At the end of the 12C , civilization was turning to an era of enlightenment. Almost immediately St. Francis would be preaching about humane treatment for and nobility of animals. He would create the Crèche scene with a loving Ox and Ass attending. But there were stirrings...
Among the Earliest of the Rose Windows
hquittner Says: Study the Cathedral Rose windows carefully as they represent some of the earliest examples.Rose windows became a beloved feature of French churches starting in the 12C and quickly became larger and more complex over the next century. Obviously their antecedent was a simple...
firechick Says: This is definitely a great town to walk and wander in, and is small enough that you are not overwhelmed. You feel like you are transported back in time - the streets are so narrow and full of twists and turns and hidden alleys and corners. It's wonderful to just wander the...
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Plan a Laon vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Laon locals
Laon (you say it "len" not Lens or la-ont" - http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/gothic_arch.html
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Laon (pop.28K) is an example of a decent sized fortified (as of the 13C) hill town situated on a long butte overlooking the "plaine picarde" to the north. The famous cathedral occupies the highest...
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Medieval Walled City - Great Architecture
We only spent one half day in Laon, so this is not going to be an in-depth travel description. We did not originally plan to visit this town, but driving down the road on the way from Reims to...
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Laon (you say it "len" not Lens or la-ont"
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/gothic_arch.html
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The cathedral, on top of a hill. The old city is totally surrounded by Medieval walls and dominates the whole of a large area.
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