Abstract
A thirteenth-century hanging keystone in Saint-Urbain in Troyes. The collegiate church of Saint-Urbain in Troyes, a remarkable rayonnant monument, preserves in its south sacristy a hanging keystone that has never been published. It is studied for the first time in this article. Critical research on its authenticity allows us to conclude that whereas the actual vault is a remounting made by Selmersheim in 1877, the boss, which is carved with a Coronation of the Virgin, is ancient. The stylistic study, combined with an analysis of the phases of construction of the church, results in a dating of around 1280-1290. The possible meaning of the keystone is examined in the theological context surrounding the establishment of the observance of the Fête-Dieu by Urbain IV, founder of the collegiate church. Given its dating, the keystone at Saint-Urbain deTroyes turns out to be the only thirteenthcentury example known on French soil. The keystone is of particular interest given the success of this type of architectural ornament in the flamboyant style in France, but also in three major European constructions of the mid fourteenth century – the Cathedral of Strasbourg, the Papal Palace at Avignon, and the Cathedral of Prague –, which until now were thought to be the oldest examples of Gothic monuments with hanging keystones.
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