Saint-Vincent Abbey

This is undoubtedly the oldest monastic foundation in Laon (founded at the end of the 6th century by the Merovingian queen Brunehaut). This important urban Benedictine abbey was ruined after the French Revolution. All that remains is the magnificent abbey palace built in 1771 against the church, some of whose arches can still be seen, the medieval fortified enclosure and the abbey cellars. 
It should be noted that the abbey has been burnt down three times in its long history: in 882 during a Norman raid, in 1359 during the Hundred Years' War and most recently in June 2008...