It is one of the town’s oldest abbeys, built by the Merovingian queen Brunehaut in the late 6th century.
The large church was built in 1175, and the facade of the abbey’s dwelling dates from 1771.
Hard-hit through the ages (it was burnt down three times, in the 9th century, during the 100 Years’ War and in 2008), Henri IV used it during the siege of Laon, and it was converted into an arsenal in 1880.
Among its features is a pond on the site, which delighted the naturalist Buffon, as its level never dropped…
The site was the subject of an excavation campaign in 2021, and is now the property of the City of Laon, which has equipped its exterior walls with panels recounting the site’s history… (building only visible from the outside)