Very early on, the abbeys felt the need to build places in Laon (which represented a real natural fortress) that would serve as residences for their guests, but also as places of protection.
Hence the creation of refuges, including the Petit Saint-Vincent, one of the most beautiful examples still visible. It was built in the first third of the 16th century, and is characterized by its staircase in ?uvre with returns, typical of the first Renaissance, which can be admired nowadays from its interior courtyard.
Note that the first floor of the building welcomes every first Saturday of the month in general the craftsmen of the House of the Trades of Art of Laon…