Our Lady of Laon

The Laon Cathedral was built between 1155 and 1235, under the orders of Bishop Gautier de Mortagne. It was, in fact, built on the knoll overlooking Laon, on the site of a former building damaged during the Laon uprising of 1112. Notre-Dame de Laon was built at around the same time as Notre Dame de Paris, and its style is a combination of various trends of Anglo-Norman influence, evidence of which can be seen in the lantern tower and the five vertical towers.
Originally, these towers, (one of which used to have a bell-tower which was demolished during the Revolution) were intended to number seven, not five, however the absence of the two additional towers doesn't spoil this Early Gothic masterpiece in the slightest; indeed, its façade is striking, and the first entirely Gothic example of its kind.
Some of the cathedral's architectural features are particularly noteworthy, such as the portals of the three large porches in the façade, nave and rose, each of which is adorned with sculptures and arches and depicts a biblical scene - the one to the right the Last Judgement, the central one the Glorification of Mary and the final one the Nativity.
Inside you will find the magnificent four-level nave consisting of large arcades (which are supported by large Roman-style columns opening onto wide side-aisles), a gallery, a triforium and high windows reflecting the style of Early Gothic art.
The nave itself consists of ten bays (divided into four sections, as in Noyon) leading to the transept which is connected with the chancel and the nave by a four-storey elevation.
The north rose is one of the earliest rose windows of the Gothic period, outlined by gaps in the wall and featuring a central design representing wisdom, surrounded by 8 stained-glass windows representing medicine and the 7 liberal arts (which were taught at the Episcopal school of Laon in the Middle Ages). The stained-glass windows of the west rose depict a scene from the Last Judgement, whilst the three larger ones in the chevet represent the Passion of Christ, in the centre, the Life of the Virgin, to the right, and the Childhood of Christ, to the left, which is dedicated to the 'Stories of Saint Etienne and Théophile'.
One rose is particularly striking among these three stained-glass windows, namely the one depicting the Virgin and Child between St. John the Baptist and Isaiah, in the centre, with the 12 Apostles in the inner circle and the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse in the outer circle.
Aside from the remarkable work that has gone into such features, it is interesting to note that 80% of the glass and designs featured are the originals (from 1120 to 1190) and are characteristic of the 12th-Century style. Indeed, the flat chevet in the chancel, above these stained-glass windows, is one of the few examples of its kind in France.
The most surprising of all, perhaps, when you enter this cathedral, is the sheer scale of the place, at 360 ft long (148 ft of which is taken up by the transept), 102 ft wide and 79 ft high under its beams. The impressive scale of the building is so striking that the transept alone feels like a second church fitted inside the first like a Russian doll.