Laon, France: The Crowned Mountain

Perched on a limestone plateau above the plains of Picardy, Laon is one of those French cities that makes an impression long before you arrive.

For miles around, its cathedral towers rise above the landscape, earning the city its nickname: the Montagne Couronnée, the Crowned Mountain.

Unlike many French cities that grew along rivers, Laon occupies a long ridge rising abruptly from the surrounding plain, a position that made it easy to defend and explains why rulers and bishops valued the site for centuries.

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Yet despite its dramatic setting and remarkable history, Laon remains largely overlooked by visitors.

Laon as seen in the distance

That's surprising, because this small city once stood at the center of French history: it was a Carolingian stronghold, an early Capetian royal city, the seat of powerful bishops, and home to one of France's earliest Gothic cathedrals.

Today, it is filled with medieval streets, hidden underground passages, a rare Templar chapel, and sweeping views across the surrounding countryside.

It's also an entirely walled town, one of France's few. It may not be one of the best-known towns in northern France, but it is definitely one of its most charming.

Notre-Dame de Laon

The cathedral is impossible to miss.

The architecture

Although it lacks the fame of Paris, Amiens or Reims, many architectural historians consider Laon one of the purest examples of early Gothic design (building began in the mid-12th century), and it's considered one of the most important churches in France.

Inside, the way it's built pulls your eyes upward, with the space filled with light.

Outside, the cathedral's towers are famous for another reason: the stone oxen that peer down from the upper levels. According to local tradition, they commemorate the animals that hauled building materials up the steep hill during construction.

You can see the stone oxen if you look closely ©OffbeatFrance

The cathedral's origins

The cathedral standing today isn't the first one on the same site. Two or maybe even three preceded it.

The first church appeared around AD 500, when Saint Rémi created a new diocese here. The Carolingians, the dynasty that produced Charlemagne, later rebuilt it on a grander scale, turning Laon into one of their favorite royal residences.

Charlemagne himself had family ties to Laon: his maternal grandfather, Caribert, was Count of Laon.

Then, in 987, Laon found itself on the losing side of a royal succession crisis. Charles of Lorraine, the last Carolingian pretender, made his stand here against Hugh Capet, founder of the Capetian dynasty.

Charles's stand ended not with a heroic siege or a glorious battle, but with betrayal. The bishop of Laon switched sides, opened the city gates, and delivered Charles to Hugh Capet, ending the Carolingian claim to the French throne.

The revolt of 1112

The cathedral standing today replaced an earlier church destroyed during one of the most dramatic episodes in Laon's history.

In 1112, townspeople revolted against Bishop Gaudry, eventually killing him and setting fire to parts of the city, including the cathedral. The uprising became one of the most famous urban revolts of the Middle Ages.

The destruction proved to be an unexpected turning point. Within a few decades, work began on the magnificent Gothic cathedral that now dominates Laon's skyline. This made Laon one of the pioneers of the new Gothic style that would spread across northern France.

The Church of Saint-Martin was once part of one of medieval Laon's largest monastic complexes. Today, the church, cloister and former abbey buildings are reminders that the city's religious life extended well beyond its famous cathedral.

The Templar Chapel

Tucked away in the old town is one of Laon's oldest surviving buildings.

The Chapelle des Templiers dates largely from the 12th century, when the Knights Templar established a commandery in the city. While many Templar buildings disappeared long ago, this small octagonal chapel survived wars and revolutions.

Exterior and interior of Laon's Templar Chapel ©OffbeatFrance

Its simple Romanesque architecture contrasts sharply with the soaring Gothic cathedral nearby. Together, the two buildings tell the story of a city that stood at the crossroads of some of the most important religious movements of medieval Europe.

After the suppression of the Templars in the early 14th century, the property passed to the Knights Hospitallers, another military-religious order, before serving successively as a prison, a stable and a school – and was nearly demolished by a developer for housing until it was classified as a historical monument and saved.

Today it is one of the few surviving Templar chapels in  France.

The Citadel and the underground city

Laon's citadel owes its existence to a royal grudge.

After a three-month siege during the Wars of Religion in 1594, Henri IV captured the city and ordered a fortress built on the eastern edge of the plateau. Its purpose was not to defend Laon from foreign invaders but to keep the city itself under control should it rebel again.

Although the citadel was later modernized to face the growing threat from Prussia, military technology advanced so quickly that it was already becoming obsolete by the late 19th century.

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