Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Martin de Laon Church is an ancient abbey built for a congregation of pre-demonstrates from the second half of the 12th century. The choir, erected around 1160, was first covered with a frame between 1226 and 1240, then replaced by a vault supported by bow-buttons around 1190. The south facade of the transept and the towers, whose arrows will be descended in 1605, were completed at the end of the thirteenth century. The western façade, on the other hand, began only around 1270, marking a gradual construction over several decades.

Between 1616 and 1621, an abbey palace and a so-called bottle empty pavilion were built for Nicolas Lesaige, illustrating an architectural development phase under the Ancien Régime. A major reconstruction campaign was launched in 1736 by architects Charles and Nicolas Bonhomme: the northeast tower was rebuilt in 1740, and the wing was completed in 1754 with its monumental staircase. Work continued until 1788 for the north-west wings and the cloister galleries, reflecting the evolution of monastic needs.

After the French Revolution, the church became parish, while the adjacent buildings, renovated by engineer Duroche, housed the hotel-God from 1810. In 1944, a bombardment destroyed part of the structures surrounding the Community court, revealing medieval elements such as the gables of the cellar and the refectory. Ranked a historic monument in 1862 and partially listed in 1951, the church retains remarkable furniture, including altars, stalls, and works of art from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The building also houses major works such as La Cène de Luigi Domenico Soldini (17th century) or a 16th century Christ of mercy, classified since 1910. Among the funerary elements are the gistors of the Coucy family (XIIIth century) or the monument of Pierre de La Bretsche (XVIIth century), testimonies of its turbulent history. The Roethinger organ, now out of service, and the choir woodwork complete this rich heritage, mixing spirituality, art and architecture throughout the centuries.

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