The Abbey of St. Martin, established in 1124 in Laon in northern France, was one of the earliest foundations of the Premonstratensian Order. Along with Cuissy Abbey and Floreffe Abbey it counted as one of the primarii inter pares, or senior houses, of the order.
The Premonstratensian community was founded by Barthélemy of Jur, bishop of Laon, in co-operation with Saint Norbert of Xanten, who settled it with twelve canons from Prémontré Abbey. It took over the site of an earlier college of canons regular, established in the Carolingian period, which had fallen into decay.
It was dissolved in the French Revolution. The church of St. Martin in Laon, dating from mid to late 12th century, is still in use as a parish church. The former monastic buildings were converted into a hospital in 1810.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.