GOLDEN
COURT MUSEUMS – METZ
Roman and Medieval History of the Cour d’Or
The
Metropole Musees Cour d’Or of Metz, (Metropolitan Golden Court
Museums), just a short walk from the central Cathedral of St Stephen,
take the
name from the former palace of the Austrasian kings which once according
to legend stood on the spot. From the death of the Frankish king Clovis
in the 6th Century, to the crowning of Charlemagne in 800, a large swath
of what is now central Europe, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland
and northern Italy was divided into Frankish realms of the Merovingian
dynasty, with the largest Austrasia, having its capital in Metz. The
Frankish kingdoms had risen from the fall of the Roman Empire, and within
the Cour d’Or Museum of Metz, this somewhat lesser known nexus
of history in what has been called the “Dark Ages” is brought
into the light, and can be seen up close.
Before the Frankish kings, Metz was the Roman regional capital of Divodurum,
meaning "Holy Fortress" in Latin, and one the greatest of Roman
cities in Gaul. The Gallo-Roman Collections in the Metz museums are some
of the most important to be found in France. The name “museums” is
plural because of different sections once separate are now combined and
first officially established in 1839
in building attached to the Metz public library. The
museums were expanded in 1841 to accommodate collections of Natural
History, with the Gallo-Roman
collections moved from the Royal Academy of Metz in 1871. It was during
an expansion reconstruction project in 1935, adding a new wing along
parallel to the High Street Poirier that the remains of the plumbing
works, stone aquifers, which fed the ancient Roman Baths were uncovered,
now seen where they were found.
The
museum is divided in four departments. The History and Archeological
museum includes local heritage from antiquity to the Renaissance, containing
the artifacts of the Roman era finds, discovered from all around Metz
during various excavations, especially notable the altar column dedicated
to the pre-Christian god Mithra, carved headstones, the Merten Column,
and articles of daily life under the Romans. An interactive animated
movie explains the idea of the Roman bath for kids. The Medieval Department
features tombs from the Merovingian era of 7th and
8th Centuries, esentially open graves with the bones still remaining,
statuary from the 15th Century Granary of Chèvremont,
the Room of Medieval Treasures of the Year 1,000, and the Chancel from
the Church
of St Pierre aux Nonnains, described as one of the most beautiful sculptures
from the 7th Century of Merovingian ruled Europe.
Visiting the Golden Court Museum
The
museums are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturdays and Sundays
10am to 5pm, and closed on Tuesdays. Regular admission is €4.60,
Seniors and Groups € 3.30, Students 18-25 €2.30. The museum
is open for free on the first Sunday of each month. For more of Medieval
and Roman Metz, the Knights Templar Chapel (see Knights Templar
Metz)
and the Roman era St Piierre aux Nonnains Church, now an exhibition
center can be seen still standing near the former citadel by the river. © Bargain
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Metz
Musees
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See Also:POMPIDOU CENTRE ART MUSEUM - METZ
CASTLE OF THE DUKES OF LORRAINE
SAINT-LOUIS CRYSTAL MUSEUM – BITCHE
