Rozoy-sur-Serre is a very old village that was already mentioned in the 6th century. Around the year 900, it had a castle, first made of wood, then of stone, which was built on a hill. In 1008, Hildegaud de Roseto, the lord of the village, had a chapel built within the castle walls, the basis for today’s Saint-Laurent church.

He then founded a college of canons (hence the name “collegiate church”) and a chapter. He had the church, which is dedicated to St Laurentius, consecrated by the Bishop of Laon. He granted the new collegiate church various privileges, so that it had ample resources from the outset and continued to grow over the years.

The choir dates from the late 12th century, the transept from the 14th century. The west façade and the columns of the nave date from the 13th century and were restored at the end of the 19th century. The échauguette at the north-east corner of the side aisle is unique, but unfortunately cannot be seen in our slideshow as it was covered up due to construction work.

The nave collapsed in 1601 and was replaced in 1607 by a new brick building with high windows. The interior was also given a new vault, ribbed vaults and large arcades. Worth seeing is the Romanesque baptismal font made of Tournai stone with five supports.

Saint-Laurent is now run by the association “Les Amis de Rozoy et de sa collégiale”, which aims to enhance the neighbourhood of the chapter. This association organises guided tours, lectures and performances to bring these places back to life.

Extensive renovation work has been underway since 2022, which means that the church is currently not open to the public and, of course, does not look particularly exciting from the outside, as you can see from the photos in the slideshow.