St. Urban fountain

Here on Blumenrain, very close to the famous Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, there is evidence of a fountain as early as 1448. St. Urban was the inspiration for this from the very beginning. However, it is unclear whether it was Pope Urban I or the Bishop of Langres. Consequently, the statue, which was added to the 1874 fountain in 1911, is a contradiction carved in stone: the tiara on the head is reminiscent of the pope, the grapes in the hand of the bishop.

Incidentally, St. Urban – the bishop, not the pope! – is considered the patron saint of winegrowers, and so for a long time it was the custom to decorate the fountain statue with flowers on his patron saint’s day, 25 May.