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Origin and history

The Saint-Laurent church of Rozoy-sur-Serre, a former collegiate church, was founded in 1017 by Hildegaud, seigneur of Rozoy, who installed fifteen canons with considerable assets. Consecrated by Bishop Adalberon of Laon, it became a place of religious and seigneurial power. In 1223, there were twenty-nine canons in the chapter, and increased incomes allowed for community life until that date. The prebends were then divided, and the dean elected by ballot.

The choir, of primitive Gothic style (late 12th – early 13th century), features warheads, various capitals and a semi-hexagonal apse. The Romanesque baptismal fonts (XII century), classified in 1911, were mentioned as early as 1446 and 1669 in royal counts. Their quadrangular tank, decorated with discoid rinsels, rests on a central drum surrounded by columnettes. The transept (14th century) and the nave, rebuilt in brick in 1607 after a destruction in 1602, illustrate the architectural transformations.

The church, listed as a historical monument in 1986, is one of the fortified churches of Thiérache. Its west facade and pillars (XIII century) were restored at the end of the 19th century. The chapter, dissolved in 1790 during the Revolution, had a vast land heritage (seigneuries, mills, lands) and the patronage of 26 parishes. Among the remains, a tombstone recalls Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, buried in the building.

In 2018, the collegiate millennium was celebrated by a festival, marking its historic importance. Prince Albert II of Monaco, descendant of the Grimaldi linked to Rozoy, participated. The chapter's income, estimated at £66,820 in 1782, was confiscated as national property. The church also houses tombs of canons and lords, now disappeared.

The architecture mixes Latin cross, column portals (XIIIth century), and defensive elements like a turret in corbellation. The capitals of the sanctuary, clovers and high columns reflect primitive ogival art. A marble altar and a golden wooden canopy (17th century) complete this ensemble, witness to eight centuries of religious and political history in Thierache.

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