From the owner: Majestueuse Construite entre 1150 et 1230 sur les fondations d'un édifice endommagé en 1112 lors du…read moresoulèvement laonnois, et haute de 75m, la Cathédrale de Laon est un édifice remarquable. Elle offre, avec Saint-Denis, Sens, Senlis et Noyon l'essence du style gothique. De magnifiques sculptures, cinq puissantes tours jouant avec les contrastes ombre et lumière, de magnifiques vitraux (dont l'une des premières roses du gothique constituée de huit vitraux représentant les sept arts libéraux et la médecine et d'un motif central symbolisant la sagesse issue de cet enseignement), font de cet édifice un chef d'oeuvre architectural.

This is the medieval abbey church in Reims. It was opened in the 11the century where St. Remi was…read moreburied. The architecture is Romanesque. It's a huge church. It was on this site that Saint Rémi was buried in 533.

This church while not as grand on first look as the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims, also has a…read moreimpressive history and style that are worth taking a look at. The Basilica was the abbey church, and was consecrated in 1049. If you stroll around the outside of the Basilica you will find the remains of the abbey buildings and walls. This Basilica has conserved and protected the relics of Saint Remi who died in 553 since 1099. Saint Remi was the one who converted Clovis, King of the Franks to Christianity in AD 496. The church is built in the Romanesque-Gothic style. The church is open to view from 8 am until sundown. The tomb of Saint Remi is impressive and has sculptures etched into every side of the tomb. This Basilica is part of the UNESCO world heritage site along with the Cathedral and the Tao Palace in Reims.

This is a very impressive, historical cathedral, and one I never heard of. But that's not saying…read moremuch I know. This cathedral was the site of the coronation of almost all subsequent French kings dating all the way back to the very first king of France, Clovis (aka King Louis the 1st) , in the year 816. That's a lot of history! This cathedral is also larger than the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris! There are a variety of stained glass generations present, ranging from modern replacements to the older medieval ones which are darker blue in hue. This cathedral was also heavily damaged during World War 1 and subsequently rebuilt. Well worth a visit and it really illuminates the long and storied history of France in this region!

We visited a lot of churches while in France and this was by far my favorite. An unexpected…read moresurprise since we didn't realize there were additional Notre Dames. It's larger than its Paris counterpart and the intricacy of the sculptures is incredible to behold. There is a fraction of the crowd that visits Paris, so you really have time to walk around and admire the interior without being bothered. We stayed in a hotel across the street, so we were able to admire it after dark. During certain months they apparently have an incredible light show at night that I can only hope to see one day.