KNIGHTS
TEMPLAR CHAPEL – METZ
Romanesque-Gothic Remnant of the Templars in Lorraine
Metz,
in the northeast corner of France was one of the great cities of the
late Roman Empire and Middle Ages. The footprint of the Romans
can be found in the aqueduct outside the city, called Divodurum under
the Roman, in the underground vaults at the L'Cour d'Or
history museum (see Golden Court Museum), and the 4th Century St Pierre-aux-Nonains
Church, the oldest
in France,
converted to Christianity from its earlier purpose as a Roman gymnasium.
In the 9th Century, Metz was the capital of the Kingdom of Lotharingia,
a domain under the German Holy Roman Emperors encompassing parts of modern
Lorraine, parts of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Saarland and parts of the
Rhineland of Germany, Alsace and even a bit of Switzerland.
In
1133, the Order of the Knights Templar came to Metz, then a center
of medieval wealth, establishing a commandary fort near the Moselle
River
on the lands of the earlier Roman arsenal. There is not a lot of information
about the Templars in Metz. Templar history in France are more associated
with the Burgundy region around Troyes were they were first formed by
Hugh of Payens and his eight fellow knights (see Hugues
de Payns Museum Champagne), officially blessed by the Council
of Troyes in 1128, and patronized by the sainted cleric Bernard of Clairvaux
(see St Bernard Chatillon ),
the Languedoc region in the south where the Templars were strongest at
the later stages,
and Paris where the last Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay was burned
at the stake in 1314.
It
is believed the Temple Chapel in Metz, rare in Lorraine for it octagonal
design, was built about 1180 with additional reconstruction work in 1220,
and the surrounding Templar structures destroyed following the dissolution
of the order following the Friday 13th arrest of Templars by the agents
of King Phillip IV in 1307. The small and relatively simple building
is an elegant masterpiece of medieval architecture, one of the few remaining
rotunda forms popular with the Templers. The external thick walls and
narrow windows reflect the original Romanesque period construction while
the interior high arched gothic ribbed roof with ceiling and wall frescoes
are from the 13th Century additions, though much of the paintings seen
are from a 1905 restoration.
Among
the medieval images is a representation of St Catherine of Alexandria
(Catherine of the Wheel
from the story
of
her
martyrdom).
The Greek born St Catherine, who was one of the saints whom Joan of
Arc claimed advised her, is sometimes associated with the Templars,
though
the association may actually be more with the gnostic Cathars and the
pagan version of the goddess of the Fiery Wheel, a symbol of feminine
strength and the cult of Catharine carried back from Jerusalem by the
crusaders. The Templar connection to the Cathars and the inquisition
may be part of the source of some of the charges of heresy which were
brought against the order. Above the lentil of the single door can
clearly be seen the Templar cross emblem, (cross pattée) though
warn and decayed with the centuries. It is believed that the chapel
in Metz was
modeled after an earlier one at Laon in Picardy, France.
Visiting the Templar Chapel of Metz
The Templar Chapel (Chapelle des Templiers de Metz) is located just off the Esplanade, the promenade park of Metz next to the city hall, behind the Citadelle Hotel and next to the St Pierre-aux-Nonains Church. There is no charge for entry, when it is open on an irregular schedule. The chapel is now used as an exhibition space. © Bargain Travel Europe
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See Also:
POMPIDOU CENTRE ART MUSEUM - METZ
CASTLE OF THE DUKES OF LORRAINE
MAGINOT LINE FORTRESS SIMSERHOF
LALIQUE FACTORY MUSEUM – ALSACE
