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Origin and history

The former church Saint-Jean-du-Bourg, located in Laon, Aisne, was a collegiate, elongated plan built mainly of limestone. The parts still visible today, including an absidiole and three vaulted bays, date from the early thirteenth century. These vestiges suggest a characteristic Gothic architecture, although some elements of the nave, like clogged bays, could go back to partial reconstruction in the 16th century.

The history of the church is marked by major transformations. The large gate was rebuilt between 1719 and 1720, as the factory archives attest. In 1791, despite its status as second parish of Laon, it was sold as a national property in 1795, and almost entirely demolished in the early 19th century (circa 1820). Only a southern fragment, including the absidiole and the three spans, escaped destruction, testifying to its canonical past.

Founded in 1065 under the name of St John, the church housed a canonial chapter. Its decline began with the Revolution, and its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1927 concerned only the remaining remains. Today, these remains, located at 6 rue du Cloître-Saint-Jean and 5 rue Thibesard, offer a limited but valuable overview of its medieval importance in the episcopal city of Laon.

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