The Laon Cathedral located in Laon, France, represents the classic French Gothic style of the twelfth century C.E.. As it was constructed in 1190, the cathedral incorporates elements of Romanesque style as well as Early European Gothic tradition. The Cathedral encompasses the Norman Romanesque tradition through the Nave arcade's support system, comprising of alternating compound and central piers, as well as through the vaulting system and the vaulted galleries above (except for the pointed arches). The pointed arches seen in the nave bays, as well as the triforium, are exemplary of the Early European Gothic stylistic elements of the cathedral. The triforium, the story in the nave comprised of arcades, in this case, blind arcades, was a new feature used in Gothic architecture accentuating the new found Gothic inclination to break up any areas of continuous wall space.
The Western Facade of the cathedral depicts the transition from Romanesque to European Gothic perhaps even further than the the cathedral's interior. Through the enormous centrally located rose window, the openness of the two tower structures, as well as the doorways' deep porches, European Gothic style dominates the facade.
