Early on, the abbeys of Laon felt the need to create a natural fortress within the city’s walls, a place of residence for their guests as well as a place of protection, hence the creation of refuges, including the Petit Saint-Vincent, one of the finest examples still visible today. It was built in the first third of the 16th century, and features an early Renaissance staircase in the middle, which can still be admired today from the inner courtyard. The first floor of the building is usually open every first Saturday of the month (as well as every Thursday) to craftspeople from Laon’s Maison des Métiers d’Art…