Laon Cathedral (Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Laon)

A Gothic Embodiment

Gothic architecture emerged during the early 12^th century marking a new statement of architecture in the West. The major characteristics of Gothic architecture are the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress. The desire to express a sense of new freedom from the Dark Ages, the new secular wealth of merchants and craftsmen, plus the creation of large towns and cities created new desires and needs.  To express this freedom, new churches had to provide more light into the interiors of the buildings, to be higher, reaching up to God. In order to express one's faith and gratitude to God massive churches and cathedrals were built in that region. There was zeal to build larger, higher, grander structures which was brought to fruition through the new wealth of merchants and the increased authority of the French kings, as well as the new-found peace and prosperity of the age.  And that led to the new style of architecture termed as 'Gothic'. Europe has witnessed numerous structures of Gothic style architecture and also played a vital role in spreading this style of architecture across the globe. The Laon Cathedral is one of the famous structures widely recognized for Gothic architecture of 12^th and 13^th centuries. It is located in Laon, Picardy, France, and is the seat of the Bishop of Laon. It has been listed among the Monuments Historiques since 1840.

History of Laon Cathedral

Construction on Laon Cathedral began around 1160, on the site of an ancient basilica that had burned down in 1111 during an insurrection. The new cathedral was completed in 1230.The second half of the 13^th century saw the start of work on the side chapels. Considerable reconstruction was done in the early 14^th century on the south and north façades. In the 18^th century, the chancel received decorative work. During the French Revolution, the cathedral was damaged and some of the statues on the portals were lost. After being listed as a Historical Monument in 1840, a restoration program began in 1846. It was finished a little before 1914. The cathedral of Laon escaped World War I unharmed.

Sculptures

The most astounding division of the cathedral is the sculptural forms present in the interior part of the structure. The towers are topped by oxen as a tribute to the animals that assisted with hauling stones to build the cathedral. At the entrance there are three doorways that are heavily recessed covered with jamb statues, archivolts, and the main tympanum. The central portal depicts the Coronation of the Virgin, a motif first seen at Senlis in the 1160s, which was subsequently repeated elsewhere and remained common well into the thirteenth century and beyond. In the tympanum, the Coronation is been sculpted with flanking angels holding lamps and censers. The archivolts are filled with a Tree of Jesse, its mandorla-like stems wrapping around the figures. Kasarska makes the astute observation, supported by other scholars, that virga (i.e. scion, from Isaiah 11) and Virgo (virgin) were conflated in the middle Ages.

Facade

The facade offers a deeply expressive face colored by the extraordinary affirmation of a relief that accentuates the oppositions of shade and light. It is a majestic face through its power of elevation, its sculptures, colonnettes and the original and unexpected oxen in the towers. The architect wished here to honor the beasts that pulled the stones up to the hill, in a very moving tribute. The silhouettes of the life-size oxen in the sky inspire generosity and nobility. The main façade owes its grand character to the three deep porches. These announce a mystery, through the play of light and shade, as you enter the sublime edifice. The statue of Notre-Dame de Laon that was once on the central pier is now in the Museum of Denver, Colorado. Above the gables, reigns an alignment of eight lower windows partially occulted.

Tall towers against wind force

The cathedral is standing still with its enormous towers flanking at its entrance. At the same time raising the tower was a major challenge for the architect during the progress of construction. Builders actively sought a feeling of openness, light, and height when they designed Gothic churches. In order to create such a divinely inspired atmosphere, the master masons used vertical wall articulation and large expanses of windows. A crucial element in achieving the desired open floor plan was the use of thin walls rather than the thick-wall technique characteristic of Romanesque buildings. Norman Romanesque buildings were especially known for their use of thick-walls as well as their incorporation of crossing towers. The shift to the thin walls prevalent in the French Gothic caused the previous structural stability of crossing towers to wane.

The most damaging factor regarding towers was wind forces. As a tower ascended, the wind forces exacerbated and put increasing pressure upon the tower proportionally. The increase in wind pressure weakens the compressive strength of the stones and causes structural fractures in the upper portions of the building that could impact the stability of the piers below. Shifts in the foundation soil or in the masonry blocks of the walls and pillars were also a major concern when building a tower. In the event of substantial shifting, the structural stability was severely compromised, often leading to the collapse of the tower or damage to the bays surrounding the crossing.

Significance

This building is one step later than Notre-Dame of Paris and also belongs to an "extended" family of buildings with four-story elevations, including Noyon, Saint-Germain-de-Fly, Tournai, Soissons south transept arm, Saint-Remi at Reims as rebuilt, Notre-Dame-en-Vaux as rebuilt and Cambrai which has been destroyed. It gives the appearance of a common language a koiné. The common language would have you believe there is unity, but they belong to disparate places. Notre-Dame of Paris is in an urban environment, where the clergy were struggling to maintain power; Laon is the old, well-established Carolingian center, with eighty canons.

The structure is a clear precedent of Gothic architecture standing still on the French soil. Exceptionally, the architect’s effort and enthusiasm is portrayed on the design philosophy of the structure. It is a marvelous artistic work executed in the early centuries under the workmanship of labors and domestic animals. Thus, the Laon Cathedral is a remarkable structure of Catholic faith and significance of Gothic architecture.

Reference

http://france.knoji.com/extraordinary-early-gothic-at-laon-cathedral/