In Situ. Heritage review, call for contributions: «Lapidary deposits: precious vestiges for the history of the monument and its carved decoration»

Lapidary deposits are understood as fragments of architecture and sculpture, deposited and collected in such a way as to maintain an organic link with their monument or original site. In recent years, In Situ. The subject of lapidary deposits has been dealt with by online articles such as Elisabeth Portet’s on « The collections of the Pantheon. Study, inventory and scientific perspectives ", in the thematic issue on Furniture, Industrial, Technical Sets. Knowledge, Protection, Conservation, Presentation to the Public (In situ, 2016, no 29), or indirectly by studying the casts from the restoration works of the Notre-Dame de Laon Cathedral preserved in the lapidary depot (Caroline Dujon-Attali Ben Mayer, « The casts of Notre-Dame de Laon: a recent discovery », Moulding. Historical practices and contemporary views, In situ, 2016, no. 28).

At the initiative of Arnaud Timbert, professor of medieval art history at the University of Picardie Jules-Verne, a study day was devoted to lapidary deposits associated with medieval buildings in Picardy (University of Amiens, 2006). It was followed by two other study days organized by Delphine Hanquiez on lapidary deposits in northern France (INHA, 2008) and on lapidary collections in Flanders, Artois and Cambrésis (University of Artois, 2019). All these meetings were published. These works and several recent monographs of buildings have highlighted the scientific and heritage interest of lapidary deposits for the history of architecture and the history of conservation and restoration. “Taking into account the pieces deposited for the understanding and three-dimensional restitution of a missing building or its ancient states appears today as an essential step in scientific research. Their conservation is also necessary from a heritage point of view, so that they can be used again as a reference for future restorations.”

In line with the actions carried out by Léon Pressouyre in the 1970s with a view to ensuring the protection of fragments as historical monuments, piecemeal inventories of lapidary deposits (as in Amiens, Arras, Beauport, Beauvais, Besançon, Châlons-en-Champagne, Chartres, Cluny, Creil, Jumièges, Lille, Meaux, Noyon, Reims, Rue, Saint-Denis, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Saint-Leu-d'Esserent, Saint-Omer, Saint-Quentin, Senlis, Soissons, Tours, Vaucelles, etc.) were conducted and prosecuted. They reveal the advances achieved in recent years thanks to scientific partnerships and local synergies, for the study, the best conservation and valorisation.

This subject, which takes many forms, calls for an inventory of the work in progress and a reflection on the pooling of approaches from different sectors (historical monuments, archaeology, museums, parks and gardens) to define courses of action and renew, where applicable, the consideration of those particular cultural properties that are located at the intersection of real estate and movable property.

Several lines of study are envisaged:
1- The contribution to the history of construction sites and restoration sites of religious, civil, and aedlitary buildings from the Middle Ages to the present: what is the current state of research?
2- The sometimes turbulent history of certain fragments: how to untangle issues of property and improve the search for provenance?
3- Inventories, recent studies: how to better share research data? Which fragments should be protected as historical monuments?
4- Carrying out a collection project in a lapidary depot: an extraordinary company?
5- The opening of lapidary deposits to the public and researchers: what changes in their presentation and management?

Scientific coordination

- Emmanuelle Flament-Guelfucci, General Curator of Heritage, Head of the Office for the Conservation of Movable Historic Monuments

- Delphine Hanquiez, Lecturer in Medieval Art History, University of Artois (Arras), Deputy Director of the Centre for Research and Studies in History and Societies (CREHS, UR 4027)

- Gaëlle Pichon-Meunier, Heritage Curator, Assistant to the Head of the Office of Movable Historic Monuments Conservation

Contribution proposals

The articles proposed must contain an unprecedented amount of research, hypothesis or update; they cannot repeat the entire article already published. It is hoped that they will be widely illustrated (about 15 images per article), including sound and/or audiovisual examples.

If you would like to contribute to this issue, please send before 15 June 2024 a summary of your proposal of up to 1,500 characters and a short resume by email: insitu.patrimoines@culture.gouv.fr – or by mail:

Ministry of Culture – Directorate General of Architecture and Heritage

Review In situ
Attn: Nathalie Meyer
182 Saint-Honoré Street
75001 Paris

Please also send a copy of your proposal to:

Emmanuelle Flament-Guelfucci (emmanuelle.flament-guelfucci@culture.gouv.fr), Delphine Hanquiez (delphine.hanquiez@univ-artois.fr) and Gaëlle Pichon-Meunier (gaelle.pichon-meunier@culture.gouv.fr)

The texts of the articles corresponding to the selected proposals are expected by December 10, 2024. You can write your article in French or in your language of use. They will be published in their original version and in their French translation. Item sizes will range from 15,000 to 35,000 including spaces and notes.

Recommendations to authors concerning the number of pages or images, iconography rights, insertion of notes and links, etc., are available on the journal’s website: https://journals.openedition.org/insitu/32424

The writing of the journal In situ.