The Oxen of Laon Cathedral

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Laon Cathedral two oxen
Laon Cathedral ox north side west tower
He looks like he’s wondering how he got up there. An ox statue on the north side of Laon Cathedral’s west tower. Photo by Aymeric Pathier via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

We all know that there are a lot of quirky creatures on medieval church facades. With so many weird and inventive grotesques out there, statues of ordinary animals usually seem boring by comparison. However, the oxen of Laon Cathedral are still worth a mention. For one thing, there are sixteen of them in total. For another, they are life-sized and quite naturalistic. I imagine that looking up to the cathedral’s towers and seeing a herd of lifelike oxen peering back down at you must be quite memorable. Laon is an important early Gothic church in the Picardy region of France. It was built in the second half of the 12th century and the early 13th century, and these statues are original to the building. (In case you’re wondering, Laon has non-oxen grotesques, too, including a great 19th-century hippopotamus.)

Laon Cathedral two oxen
Two oxen on the northwest side of Laon Cathedral. Photo by Uoaei1 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Apparently, there’s a rather touching explanation for the prominent appearance of these ordinary creatures on this church. Legend has it that they are tributes to the real teams of oxen responsible for carting the massive quantities of heavy stone used to build the cathedral. After all, building the church wouldn’t have been possible without their contribution. I heard this story in Dr. William R. Cook’s The Great Courses lecture series entitled “The Cathedral”, but a quick Google search confirms that the story is widespread. Dr. Cook’s course is fabulous, and you’ll hear more about it very soon!

Laon Cathedral ox
An ox at Laon Cathedral. Photo by Uoaei1 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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4 responses to “The Oxen of Laon Cathedral”

  1. Statuary from Laon Cathedral – Séamus Sweeney

    […] I don’t pretend these random shots capture the glory of Laon Cathedral and I did not get an adequate picture of the highly impressive oxen statues in the tower (see here) […]

  2. blosslyn

    Visited there last year, I keep meaning to do a post, the whole place is amazing 🙂

    1. A Scholarly Skater

      The Great Courses lectures I’m listening to right now certainly make it seem amazing, so I totally believe that. In fact, I think the professor said Laon is one of his favorites.

      1. blosslyn

        I agree with the professor, it is a wonder 🙂

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