It is currently known as Ardon, but this gate was named Royée as early as the 10th century, because it gave access to the first royal palace built nearby (and now disappeared).
It has changed a lot over the centuries: redesigned in the 13th century during the restoration of the ramparts, with the particular shape of a “small castle” that its watchtowers give it, it was enriched in the 18th century with a wall in front of it. It is said that Charlemagne’s nephew, Roland, secretly used it to leave Laon in 778 before going to Roncesvalles where he died.
Nowadays, you can walk or drive underneath it and reach either the southern belt of the ramparts, or the square of the cathedral located at about 300 meters…