Laon Cathedral, Architecture And Glass

Laon, in Piccardy, northeast of Paris, is one of the great early Gothic cathedrals, transitional by description, but pretty fully Gothic, if you ask me. It was begun in 1155 and finished in the 1230s.

Laon Cathedral...with restaurant, tourists, TI, and tourist train... 

The two west towers, with their menagerie of oxen, unicorns, etc; there were to be
seven towers, but "only" five actually were built

The white stone is marvelous and permits all kinds of coloration; we had the place
pretty much to ourselves; you can see you're off the beaten cathedral path when
the gift shoppe consists of a few postcards and a voluntary payment system;
anyhow, here is the knave view, great light, even greater up toward the bow

Elevation; aisles, real galleries, triforia, smallish clerestory
windows; note the columns, more like Romanesque...

View to the choir and bow, with great rose window and three
13th century lancets

Crossing

View abaft

Choir view

Alas, all the side chapels are walled-off, thus much diminishing
the sense of size inside; a later post-medieval innovation, one
imagines

Beautiful bow rose window

The Becket window; he did some time here at the cathedral
school, under the protection of the king of France, waiting to
see how much of a bribe the pope would require, and whether
Henry II could afford it

Birth of Jesus window; 13th century

Passion window; ditto

Jesus leaving the dinner at Emmaus

North aisle

Liberal arts window, north (port) transept

"Yippeeee!"