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{{distinguish|León Cathedral}} {{Distinguish|León Cathedral}}


{{Infobox religious building {{Infobox church
| name = Laon Cathedral
| building_name =Laon Cathedral<br><small>{{lang|fr|Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon}}</small>
| native_name = {{native name|fr|Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon}}
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| image =La cathédrale de Laon DSC 0707.jpg | image = Laon, Cathédrale Notre-Dame PM 14294.jpg
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| map_type = | caption = West front

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| coordinates = {{coord|49.5643|N|3.625|E|region:FR_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
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| location =], {{flag|France}} | location = ], ], ], ]

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| groundbreaking =12th century | years built =
| groundbreaking = 1150<ref> Stoddard, Whitney (1966). Monastery and Cathedral in France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 129–136.</ref>
| year_completed =13th century <ref>http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/laon-cathedral</ref>
| completed date = 1235<ref> Stoddard, Whitney (1966). Monastery and Cathedral in France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 129–136.</ref>
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'''Laon Cathedral''' ({{lang-fr|Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon}}) is a ] ] located in ], ], ]. It is one of the most important examples of the ] architectural tradition of the 12th and 13th centuries. The ] predates those of ] and ], ranking with them in importance. It is the seat of the ]. The church has been listed among the '']'' since 1840.


]
==Previous cathedrals on the site==
The current cathedral is built on the site of an earlier edifice commenced under the episcopacy of Gerfrid (774 - 800). That ] cathedral was consecrated on 6 September 800 in the presence of ].


'''Laon Cathedral''' ({{langx|fr|Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon}}) is a ] ] located in ], ], ], ]. Built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, it is one of the most important and stylistically unified examples of early ]. The church served as the cathedral of the ] until 1802, and has been recognized as a '']'' since 1840.<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00115710}}</ref>
The Carolingian building was replaced under Bishop Élinand (1052–1095).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.histoireaisne.fr/memoires_numerises/chapitres/tome_36/Tome_036_page_058.pdf |title=1991 Tome 36 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2013-03-26}}</ref> The present new building was inaugurated with the second coronation of the future ]. This cathedral was torched during the Easter Insurrection on 25 April 1112. During the revolt Laon's unpopular ] was killed, despite taking the precaution of hiding in a barrel in the cellar of the episcopal palace. The cathedral was not destroyed, however, and after a repair programme lasting two years it was rededicated in 1114 under ].


==History== ==History==
===Early history===
]
The ] was established by archbishop ] of ] at the end of the fifth century. Presumably, an early church was erected soon afterward. Laon soon became one of the principal towns of the ].
The present Laon Cathedral dates from the 12th and early 13th centuries, an early example of the ] style that originated in Northern France. It was built half a century after the first example of Gothic architecture, the Abbey Church of St. Denis, was erected. The former cathedral was burned out and damaged during the communal insurrection in 1112, then occasioned by the revocation of the commune's charter. The present reconstruction began with a ] in about 1160 and was finished as far as the east side of the ] by 1174. In a second campaign, which started about 1180, the nave was built, and completed after 1205. Then the choir was replaced by the greatly lengthened present choir in 1215. The cathedral was structurally completed by 1230.<ref>http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/laon-cathedral</ref>


A later church building, dating from the tenth or eleventh centuries, was torched during the Easter Insurrection on 25 April 1112. The merchants and bourgeoisie of Laon had procured a ], which was soon revoked by ]. The commune revolted, murdering the bishop. The ] was set alight; the fire soon spread to the cathedral. Afterward, the peasant population took the opportunity to pillage the town. Three months after the insurrection, members of the clergy at Laon toured France and England with relics belonging to the bishopric. Using funds raised from the tour, the church was reconstructed and consecrated on August 20, 1114, under ].
The building is ], and the choir terminates in a straight wall instead of in an ]. Of the seven planned ]s flanking the ]s, only five are complete to the height of the base of the ]s, two at the west front, with life-size figures of sixteen oxen beneath the arcades of their upper portion, meant to pay homage to a local legend about a church that once occupied the site, explaining that the oxen appeared to help move the heavy stones. There are two more towers, one at each end of the transept, and a square central crossing tower that forms a ] illuminating the ]. If all seven towers were completed, at the time of construction, Laon would have more towers than any other cathedral built at the time. The ambition of the planners of Laon Cathedral gave some insight on what cathedral planners of the time were aiming for - a new take on space.
], ] and ] under ]ing]]
The west front, then with three porches, the centre one surmounted by a fine ] of 1210, ranks next to that of ] in the purity of its Gothic style. Because of the use of white stone in the interior, however, the luminosity is remarkably greater than at Notre-Dame. The cathedral has ] of the 13th century and a ] of the 18th century. Although the cathedral suffered some damage during the ] and the ] of 1870, it escaped both World Wars unharmed.


However, as the population of Laon grew, it soon became clear that a larger cathedral was necessary. Laon's economy was booming, and ]'s school of theology and exegesis was becoming one of the most acclaimed in Europe. Additionally, Laon's communal charter was reestablished in 1130. By the late 1150s, construction on the current cathedral had begun under Gautier de Mortagne; it was essentially completed by 1230.<ref>{{cite book |last= Stoddard |first= Whitney |date= 1966 |title= Monastery and Cathedral in France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries |url= https://archive.org/details/monasterycathedr00stod |url-access= registration |location= Middletown, Connecticut |publisher= Wesleyan University Press |pages= }}</ref>
On June 25, 1940, Laon Cathedral was visited by ].<ref>hitlerpages.com</ref>


===Current building===
The famous medieval artist ] made detailed drawings of one of the towers of Laon, ''ca.'' 1230.
The present Laon Cathedral dates from the 12th and early 13th centuries, an early example of the ] style that originated in northern France. It was built half a century after the erection of the ], which originated the Gothic style. Construction on Laon Cathedral began with the ] and portions of both ]s between approximately 1160 and 1170. By 1180, the transept arms were finished and the eastern portion of the ] was erected. In the next phase of construction, lasting until the end of the century, the nave and most of the massive western ] were completed. Shortly after, the Chapel des Fonts, ], and ] were built onto the south side of the nave. Next, spurred by the donation of a local quarry in 1205, the original choir was dismantled and the current, larger choir was constructed by 1220.<ref name="clark2">{{cite book |last= Clark |first= W. W. |date= 1987 |title= Laon Cathedral, Architecture: The Aesthetics of Space, Plan and Structure |volume= 2 |location= London |publisher= Harvey Miller Publishers |isbn= 0905203569 |series = Courtauld Institute Illustration Archives }}</ref>{{rp|11–12}} Soon after, the treasury and ] were built at the junctures of the choir and transepts, along with a large chapel extending from the southeastern end of the choir. Over the century, additional chapels were built off the aisles of the nave and the choir. Finally, the south transept's facade was remodeled in the early fourteenth century, resulting in the current twin doors and tracery window.<ref name="clark1">{{cite book |last1= Clark |first1= W. W. |last2= King |first2= R. |date= 1983 |title= Laon Cathedral, Architecture |volume= 1 |location= London |publisher= Harvey Miller Publishers |isbn= 9780905203553 |series = Courtauld Institute Illustration Archives }}</ref>{{rp|45–50}}


===Later history===
Composer ] was organist of the cathedral in 1710&ndash;19.
Laon lost its status as a bishopric during the ]. Following the ], the building has functioned as a parish church under the ].<ref>{{cite book |editor-last= Grant |editor-first= Lindy |date= 1978 |title= Part 6: France — Laon Cathedral |location= London |publisher= Harvey Miller Publishers |pages= iii–iv |issn= 0307-8078 |series = Courtauld Institute Illustration Archives: Archive 3, Medieval Architecture & Sculpture in Europe }}</ref>


The cathedral was modified extensively during the nineteenth century. The tower foundations were rebuilt with masonry to prevent them from collapsing. The ]es attached to the nave and transepts were rebuilt to match those bracing the choir. An ornate but structurally artificial upper extension of the cathedral's front facade of unknown date was removed; it was replaced by a ] and the current ] statue. Open doorways that historically had pierced the walls between the west entry ] were blocked in. Most notably, many of the medieval sculptural programs on the western facade were heavily altered.
==Gallery==

{|
By this time, fissures had appeared in the upper walls at the west end of the nave. To help counteract this problem, a low arch was constructed, crossing to nave near the entry portals. In 1899, timber flooring was installed between the towers in the west end of the nave to accommodate the installation of the current ]. The low structural arch became the platform's east support. This project remains controversial, as the organ pipes currently block the lower western windows and half of the rose window. However, the older and much smaller stone organ platform still survives under the current timber construction.<ref name="clark2" />{{rp|50–58}}
|-

|]
Although the cathedral suffered some damage during the French Revolution and the ] of 1870, it escaped both World Wars unharmed.
|]

|]
==Architecture==
|}
]
{{clear}}

Contemporary with ] and ], Laon Cathedral is one of the most elaborate and best-preserved of the early French Gothic cathedrals. It is notable for the stylistic unity and consistency maintained over the different phases of its construction. The cathedral consists of a ] plan with the traditional nave, transepts, and choir, all flanked by single side aisles. Numerous chapels have been built projecting out the exterior aisle walls. The nave has twelve ] (including the bay over the organ platform), counterbalanced by the ten in the choir. Both transepts have four bays. A central lantern tower, the focal point of the cathedral's interior, rises over the intersection. The ceiling over the choir and the nave (with the exception of the west end, near the organ) incorporates ]ing, while the ceiling in the transepts incorporates quadripartite vaulting.

Vertically, Laon Cathedral is divided into four tiers: ground-level side aisles, a ]-level passageway with double arches, a short ]-level passageway with triple arches, and ] windows. The passageways on the two middle levels circumnavigate the entirety of the building, possibly indicating ] influence. The unusual four-tiered configuration was previously used in both ] in modern-day Belgium and Noyon Cathedral, and is reflected locally in the south transept of nearby ]. The height of the interior is emphasized by the colonnette shafts rising from the tops of the columns separating the aisle bays; these colonnette shafts regularly alternate between three and five in number.<ref name="clark1" />{{rp|9–13}}

Although the choirs of most Gothic churches terminate with apses, Laon's choir is an exception: it terminates with a flat wall. The cathedral's original choir was much shorter, and it terminated in a more conventional apse and ]. Although the original choir encoded the stylistic template for the rest of the building, it was demolished and replaced in the early thirteenth century. The longer, current choir was more proportionally appropriate for the cathedral.<ref name="clark1" />{{rp|48–51}}

Each end of the church culminates in a ], except for the southern transept. Instead, the south transept features a massive arched ] window, which replaced the original rose in the early fourteenth century. The facades of both transepts incorporate twin entry doors; the south doors open next to the cathedral's adjoining cloister and chapter house, while the north doors open near the old episcopal palace. The massive west facade of the cathedral, at the nave end, is notable for its dynamic use of spatial projections. Three deeply recessed portals provide entry into the church; an arched passageway sits over them; between this passageway and a second, higher one, two Gothic-arched lancet windows and the central rose window cut into the wall. The facade is topped by the uppermost portions of the twin towers and four smaller pinnacles.<ref name="clark2" />{{rp|50–58}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Laon Cathedral Portals (Night) 01.JPG|Portals
File:Dehio 362 Laon Cathedrale.jpg|Floor plan
File:Laon, Cathédrale Notre-Dame PM 14327.jpg|Crossing tower
</gallery>

===Towers===
]
]

Of the seven planned ]s, only five were completed to the height of the base of the ]s. These include the square central crossing tower that forms a ] illuminating the ], the two towers flanking the western facade, and the two transept towers. Both transepts were planned to have second towers, which were never completed.<ref name="clark1" />{{rp|9–13}} Laon Cathedral's completed towers (with the exception of that at the central crossing) all consist of two stacked vaulted chambers pierced by lancet openings. They transition from square profiles at their bases to elaborated octagons at their peaks. Medieval artist ] made detailed drawings of one of the towers of Laon circa 1230; in his eyes, the towers at Laon perfectly utilized the geometry and "true measure" ideally expressed in Gothic architecture.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Von Simson |first1= Otto G. |date= 1952 |title= The Gothic Cathedral: Design and Meaning |journal= Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians |volume= 11 |issue= 3 |pages= 6–16 |doi= 10.2307/987608 |jstor= 987608 }}</ref> The two western towers contain life-size stone statues of sixteen ] in their upper arcades, seemingly commemorating the bullocks who hauled equipment and materials during the cathedral's construction.<ref name="abelard">{{cite web |url= https://www.abelard.org/france/cathedrals5-laon.php |title= Cathedral 5: Laon |author = abelard |date= 2006-01-22 |access-date= 11 November 2018 }}</ref>

===Stained glass===
The cathedral's ] dates mostly from the thirteenth century, with some nineteenth-century augmentations. Among the surviving medieval windows are the three lancet windows at the east end of the church, overlooking the choir. The right window depicts scenes from the life of ] and from ] childhood. The central window continues the Jesus narrative, from his ] to his ]. The left windows depicts scenes from the legend of ] and the Biblical account of ]. The rose window above the lancets is dedicated to Mary; it also contains twelve medallions depicting the ] and twenty-four medallions depicting the ] from the ]. Departing from strictly religious themes, the rose window in the north transept contains personifications of the sciences of the ] (], ], and ]) and the ] (], ], ], and ]).<ref name="abelard" />

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Rose Façade Cathédrale de Laon 150908 1.jpg|West rose
File:F02 Laon Cath ND F02 Laon Cath ND eptP1390921.JPG|North rose
File:Rose Choeur Cathédrale de Laon 150808 2.jpg|East windows
File:Cathedrale de Laon, verrière.jpg|South window
</gallery>

==Notable people==
* Theologian ] served as dean and chancellor of the cathedral in the early twelfth century.
* Composer ] was organist of the cathedral from 1710 to 1719.
* ] visited the cathedral on June 25, 1940.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://hitlerpages.com/june25.html |title= June 25 |website= The Hitler Pages |access-date= 11 November 2018}}</ref>
* Artist ] depicted the cathedral towers in his 1912 painting ''Les Tours de Laon'', exemplifying his transition away from figurative compositions towards the abstract movement of ].<ref>{{cite book |first= Mark |last=Irving |editor-first= Stephen |editor-last=Farthing |title= 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die |publisher=Cassell |year=2011 |isbn= 9781844037049 |page=612}}</ref>

==See also==
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}}
;Notes
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon|Laon Cathedral}} {{Commons category|Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon|Laon Cathedral}}
* *
*
* {{de icon}}
*
* {{fr icon}}
*


{{Authority control}}
]

]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 14:39, 25 October 2024

Not to be confused with León Cathedral. Church in Hauts-de-France, France
Laon Cathedral
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon (French)
West front
49°33′51″N 3°37′30″E / 49.5643°N 3.625°E / 49.5643; 3.625
LocationLaon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusParish church (formerly cathedral)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeCathedral
StyleFrench Gothic
Groundbreaking1150
Completed1235
Administration
DioceseSoissons (formerly Laon)
Historic site
Monument historique
TypeCathédrale
Designated1840
Reference no.PA00115710
Laon Cathedral from the southwest

Laon Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon) is a Roman Catholic church located in Laon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France. Built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, it is one of the most important and stylistically unified examples of early Gothic architecture. The church served as the cathedral of the Diocese of Laon until 1802, and has been recognized as a monument historique since 1840.

History

Early history

The Diocese of Laon was established by archbishop Remigius of Reims at the end of the fifth century. Presumably, an early church was erected soon afterward. Laon soon became one of the principal towns of the Frankish Empire.

A later church building, dating from the tenth or eleventh centuries, was torched during the Easter Insurrection on 25 April 1112. The merchants and bourgeoisie of Laon had procured a communal charter, which was soon revoked by Bishop Gaudry. The commune revolted, murdering the bishop. The episcopal palace was set alight; the fire soon spread to the cathedral. Afterward, the peasant population took the opportunity to pillage the town. Three months after the insurrection, members of the clergy at Laon toured France and England with relics belonging to the bishopric. Using funds raised from the tour, the church was reconstructed and consecrated on August 20, 1114, under Barthélemy de Jur.

However, as the population of Laon grew, it soon became clear that a larger cathedral was necessary. Laon's economy was booming, and Anselm of Laon's school of theology and exegesis was becoming one of the most acclaimed in Europe. Additionally, Laon's communal charter was reestablished in 1130. By the late 1150s, construction on the current cathedral had begun under Gautier de Mortagne; it was essentially completed by 1230.

Current building

The present Laon Cathedral dates from the 12th and early 13th centuries, an early example of the Gothic style that originated in northern France. It was built half a century after the erection of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, which originated the Gothic style. Construction on Laon Cathedral began with the choir and portions of both transepts between approximately 1160 and 1170. By 1180, the transept arms were finished and the eastern portion of the nave was erected. In the next phase of construction, lasting until the end of the century, the nave and most of the massive western facade were completed. Shortly after, the Chapel des Fonts, cloister, and chapter house were built onto the south side of the nave. Next, spurred by the donation of a local quarry in 1205, the original choir was dismantled and the current, larger choir was constructed by 1220. Soon after, the treasury and sacristy were built at the junctures of the choir and transepts, along with a large chapel extending from the southeastern end of the choir. Over the century, additional chapels were built off the aisles of the nave and the choir. Finally, the south transept's facade was remodeled in the early fourteenth century, resulting in the current twin doors and tracery window.

Later history

Laon lost its status as a bishopric during the French Revolution. Following the Concordat of 1802, the building has functioned as a parish church under the Diocese of Soissons.

The cathedral was modified extensively during the nineteenth century. The tower foundations were rebuilt with masonry to prevent them from collapsing. The flying buttresses attached to the nave and transepts were rebuilt to match those bracing the choir. An ornate but structurally artificial upper extension of the cathedral's front facade of unknown date was removed; it was replaced by a balustrade and the current Madonna and Child statue. Open doorways that historically had pierced the walls between the west entry portals were blocked in. Most notably, many of the medieval sculptural programs on the western facade were heavily altered.

By this time, fissures had appeared in the upper walls at the west end of the nave. To help counteract this problem, a low arch was constructed, crossing to nave near the entry portals. In 1899, timber flooring was installed between the towers in the west end of the nave to accommodate the installation of the current organ. The low structural arch became the platform's east support. This project remains controversial, as the organ pipes currently block the lower western windows and half of the rose window. However, the older and much smaller stone organ platform still survives under the current timber construction.

Although the cathedral suffered some damage during the French Revolution and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it escaped both World Wars unharmed.

Architecture

Interior

Contemporary with Noyon Cathedral and Notre-Dame de Paris, Laon Cathedral is one of the most elaborate and best-preserved of the early French Gothic cathedrals. It is notable for the stylistic unity and consistency maintained over the different phases of its construction. The cathedral consists of a cruciform plan with the traditional nave, transepts, and choir, all flanked by single side aisles. Numerous chapels have been built projecting out the exterior aisle walls. The nave has twelve bays (including the bay over the organ platform), counterbalanced by the ten in the choir. Both transepts have four bays. A central lantern tower, the focal point of the cathedral's interior, rises over the intersection. The ceiling over the choir and the nave (with the exception of the west end, near the organ) incorporates sexpartite vaulting, while the ceiling in the transepts incorporates quadripartite vaulting.

Vertically, Laon Cathedral is divided into four tiers: ground-level side aisles, a tribune-level passageway with double arches, a short triforium-level passageway with triple arches, and clerestory windows. The passageways on the two middle levels circumnavigate the entirety of the building, possibly indicating Norman influence. The unusual four-tiered configuration was previously used in both Tournai Cathedral in modern-day Belgium and Noyon Cathedral, and is reflected locally in the south transept of nearby Soissons Cathedral. The height of the interior is emphasized by the colonnette shafts rising from the tops of the columns separating the aisle bays; these colonnette shafts regularly alternate between three and five in number.

Although the choirs of most Gothic churches terminate with apses, Laon's choir is an exception: it terminates with a flat wall. The cathedral's original choir was much shorter, and it terminated in a more conventional apse and ambulatory. Although the original choir encoded the stylistic template for the rest of the building, it was demolished and replaced in the early thirteenth century. The longer, current choir was more proportionally appropriate for the cathedral.

Each end of the church culminates in a rose window, except for the southern transept. Instead, the south transept features a massive arched tracery window, which replaced the original rose in the early fourteenth century. The facades of both transepts incorporate twin entry doors; the south doors open next to the cathedral's adjoining cloister and chapter house, while the north doors open near the old episcopal palace. The massive west facade of the cathedral, at the nave end, is notable for its dynamic use of spatial projections. Three deeply recessed portals provide entry into the church; an arched passageway sits over them; between this passageway and a second, higher one, two Gothic-arched lancet windows and the central rose window cut into the wall. The facade is topped by the uppermost portions of the twin towers and four smaller pinnacles.

  • Portals Portals
  • Floor plan Floor plan
  • Crossing tower Crossing tower

Towers

Laon Cathedral in 1940. Note sandbagged front entries and the French army truck in front.
Oxen tower statuary

Of the seven planned towers, only five were completed to the height of the base of the spires. These include the square central crossing tower that forms a lantern tower illuminating the crossing, the two towers flanking the western facade, and the two transept towers. Both transepts were planned to have second towers, which were never completed. Laon Cathedral's completed towers (with the exception of that at the central crossing) all consist of two stacked vaulted chambers pierced by lancet openings. They transition from square profiles at their bases to elaborated octagons at their peaks. Medieval artist Villard de Honnecourt made detailed drawings of one of the towers of Laon circa 1230; in his eyes, the towers at Laon perfectly utilized the geometry and "true measure" ideally expressed in Gothic architecture. The two western towers contain life-size stone statues of sixteen oxen in their upper arcades, seemingly commemorating the bullocks who hauled equipment and materials during the cathedral's construction.

Stained glass

The cathedral's stained glass dates mostly from the thirteenth century, with some nineteenth-century augmentations. Among the surviving medieval windows are the three lancet windows at the east end of the church, overlooking the choir. The right window depicts scenes from the life of Mary and from Jesus' childhood. The central window continues the Jesus narrative, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his ascension. The left windows depicts scenes from the legend of Theophilus of Adana and the Biblical account of Saint Stephen. The rose window above the lancets is dedicated to Mary; it also contains twelve medallions depicting the twelve apostles and twenty-four medallions depicting the Four and Twenty Elders from the Book of Revelation. Departing from strictly religious themes, the rose window in the north transept contains personifications of the sciences of the trivium (grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy).

  • West rose West rose
  • North rose North rose
  • East windows East windows
  • South window South window

Notable people

  • Theologian Anselm of Laon served as dean and chancellor of the cathedral in the early twelfth century.
  • Composer Pierre Dumage was organist of the cathedral from 1710 to 1719.
  • Adolf Hitler visited the cathedral on June 25, 1940.
  • Artist Robert Delaunay depicted the cathedral towers in his 1912 painting Les Tours de Laon, exemplifying his transition away from figurative compositions towards the abstract movement of Orphism.

See also

References

  1. Stoddard, Whitney (1966). Monastery and Cathedral in France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 129–136.
  2. Stoddard, Whitney (1966). Monastery and Cathedral in France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 129–136.
  3. Base Mérimée: PA00115710, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  4. Stoddard, Whitney (1966). Monastery and Cathedral in France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 129–136.
  5. ^ Clark, W. W. (1987). Laon Cathedral, Architecture: The Aesthetics of Space, Plan and Structure. Courtauld Institute Illustration Archives. Vol. 2. London: Harvey Miller Publishers. ISBN 0905203569.
  6. ^ Clark, W. W.; King, R. (1983). Laon Cathedral, Architecture. Courtauld Institute Illustration Archives. Vol. 1. London: Harvey Miller Publishers. ISBN 9780905203553.
  7. Grant, Lindy, ed. (1978). Part 6: France — Laon Cathedral. Courtauld Institute Illustration Archives: Archive 3, Medieval Architecture & Sculpture in Europe. London: Harvey Miller Publishers. pp. iii–iv. ISSN 0307-8078.
  8. Von Simson, Otto G. (1952). "The Gothic Cathedral: Design and Meaning". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 11 (3): 6–16. doi:10.2307/987608. JSTOR 987608.
  9. ^ abelard (2006-01-22). "Cathedral 5: Laon". Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  10. "June 25". The Hitler Pages. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  11. Irving, Mark (2011). Farthing, Stephen (ed.). 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die. Cassell. p. 612. ISBN 9781844037049.

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