Vierge aux Raisins, Basilique Saint-Urbain de Troyes, France
Virgin of the Grapes, or Vierge aux Raisins, detail, early 16th century statue of the Virgin and child with a bird eating a bunch of grapes, by Troyes School, in the Basilique Saint-Urbain de Troyes, or Basilica of Saint Urban of Troyes, a 13th century Gothic church in Troyes, Aube, France. The Virgin is crowned and smiling, standing on a crescent moon, and the Christ child holds a vine, while a bird eats the grapes. Behind is the grisailles stained glass window, 13th century, in the Chapelle de la Vierge, or Chapel of the Virgin. The windows were restored in 1879. The basilica was founded in 1262 under Pope Urban IV and consecrated in 1382, although the building was not completed until the 20th century. It is listed as a national monument. Picture by Manuel Cohen
