When in La Petite Pierre, a small community in the northern Vosges, don't fail to visit the Heraldry Museum, an extraordinary structure devoted to heraldry and sigillography and created by Charles Haudot, the authority on the subject in Strasbourg. The museum is housed in a chapel built by Vauban at the end of the 17th century. The chapel is a perfect setting for these 'pictures' representing the coats of arms or symbols of states, sovereigns, noblemen, guilds or even private individuals. Mr Haudot has devoted his whole life to this science, a part of History, and has studied and reproduced thousands of seals, each one more beautiful than the next one, priceless documents for researchers. For example you will see a seal of La Petite Pierre, dated 1515, when the village was called 'Lützelstein', and also seals of the ten towns forming the 'Decapole', of emperors Charles V and Maximilian 1st, of the builders of the Strasbourg cathedral, of abbeys... The chapel is decorated with brightly-colored coats of arms and banners.

Since the 16th century, signatures have unfortunately replaced seals, except for seals affixed to doors or for state documents.

Dernière mise à jour : 09/02/2010 08:36:02