It is interesting to note also that there is no balustrade in the tribune arcades. The passages open unobstructed straight out to the nave. My suspicion is that this was to allow light from the tribune windows to penetrate more fully to the nave. This gives an open visual impression even if it must be a bit harrowing to stand on the open edge. The nave vault is also transitional — a sexpartite vault spans two bays instead of a quadripartite vault that spans a single bay.
It is interesting in this shot to see the effect of all the round arches. They seem to somehow pull the vault lower, to keep it more earthward. The choir is quite interesting for a number of reasons — first, the east wall is flat and adorned with a magnificent rose window.
There is no chevet, there are no radiating chapels, and there is no ambulatory. Instead, there is a long ten-bay arcade with side aisles, just like the nave. This is truly a cruciform church with short transept arms to make the cross. The straight side aisles in the choir show clearly the solid, powerful columns and the flat east wall in the distance. We can see here more evidence of the early nature of the Gothic — there are no windows in the side aisles.
In the flat east wall of the choir, there is a stained glass ensemble consisting of the rose and three lancets. The early 13th century lancets lancets are from the school of Chartres and feature the Annunciation, Visitation, and the Nativity.
The visual effect from the nave is quite interesting because the windows occupy most of the space in that wall. It quite literally appears as a light at the end of a tunnel. PJ and I are quite fond of these early Gothic cathedrals where the builders found their way to the new architecture that would soon culminate in the masterpieces of Amiens, Chartres , Bourges and Reims.
In those structures, the nave arcades would rise higher and be fitted with window ensembles, the tribune level would disappear and the clerestory rounds would change into a rose with two lancets.
And the crowning achievement, the structures would be covered with the quadripartite vaults. This would allow for greater wall space dedicated to windows, more elongated piers and pillars and give the sensation of stone climbing to the heavens.
Laon, Senlis , Auxerre , and Sens may not have the same soaring effect as their more famous successors, but they paved the way. It was here that the earthbound Romanesque gave way to the heaven-soaring Gothic.
What a fascinating structure! As I made my way through your wonderful photography I found my mind shifting alternately from the close, confining feel of the Romanesque to the soaring feel of the Gothic. Rather an emotional teeter- totter. Shifts in the foundation soil or in the masonry blocks of the walls and pillars were also a major concern when building a tower. In the event of substantial shifting, the structural stability was severely compromised, often leading to the collapse of the tower or damage to the bays surrounding the crossing.
This building is one step later than Notre-Dame of Paris and also belongs to an "extended" family of buildings with four-story elevations, including Noyon, Saint-Germain-de-Fly, Tournai, Soissons south transept arm, Saint-Remi at Reims as rebuilt, Notre-Dame-en-Vaux as rebuilt and Cambrai which has been destroyed.
The common language would have you believe there is unity, but they belong to disparate places. Notre-Dame of Paris is in an urban environment, where the clergy were struggling to maintain power; Laon is the old, well-established Carolingian center, with eighty canons.
The structure is a clear precedent of Gothic architecture standing still on the French soil. It is a marvelous artistic work executed in the early centuries under the workmanship of labors and domestic animals.
Thus, the Laon Cathedral is a remarkable structure of Catholic faith and significance of Gothic architecture. Read more Read More. Latest Issue of Built Constructions on stand. Grab your copy now. Subscribe for Built Constructions Magazine Now. Subscribe for Built Expressions Magazine Now.
History of Laon Cathedral Construction on Laon Cathedral began around , on the site of an ancient basilica that had burned down in during an insurrection. Sculptures The most astounding division of the cathedral is the sculptural forms present in the interior part of the structure.
Facade The facade offers a deeply expressive face colored by the extraordinary affirmation of a relief that accentuates the oppositions of shade and light. Tall towers against wind force The cathedral is standing still with its enormous towers flanking at its entrance. Significance This building is one step later than Notre-Dame of Paris and also belongs to an "extended" family of buildings with four-story elevations, including Noyon, Saint-Germain-de-Fly, Tournai, Soissons south transept arm, Saint-Remi at Reims as rebuilt, Notre-Dame-en-Vaux as rebuilt and Cambrai which has been destroyed.
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View More videos. Latest Issue of Built Expressions on stand. Activities More Click to Expand. Description The height of the nave vault is 24 m. Large or infrequently accessed files can take several minutes to retrieve from our archival storage system.
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