ST STEPHEN CATHEDRAL - METZ
Gothic High Nave and Chagall Stained Glass Windows
The Metz Cathedral of Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne de Metz) is set in the center of Metz on a rising hill at the Place Saint-Louis, with its high steeple tower visible from the far edges of the capital city of Lorraine. The cathedral of Metz is noted for its high nave, the third tallest in France, and sometimes nicknamed “the Good Lord's lantern” for its large expanse of stained glass windows, the largest in area in the world, encompassing almost 70,000 square feet. The window artists over the centuries include: Hermann von Münster in the early gothic construction, Théobald of Lixheim and Valentin Bousch in the 16th Century, Laurent-Charles Maréchal in the imperial reconstruction of the 1800s, and in the 20th Century, Marc Chagall created three stained glass window panels for the church between 1958 and 1968.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Stephen Protomartyr (the first Christian martyr, stoned to death by a mob) after the discovery of his relics in Jerusalem in 415. The Metz Cathedral is one of a number of early cathedrals around Europe with origins from the 5th Century dedicated to Saint Stephen, ten of them in France, as well as the central church of Vienna. The site has seen a number of constructions dating from the 8th, 10th and 11th Centuries.
The current Gothic style structure was commenced about 1220, under the order of Bishop Conrad of Scharfeneck, with the main construction completed by around 1520, and consecrated in 1552. The cathedral was heavily damaged by a fire in 1877, set off by a fireworks display to honor Kaiser Wilhelm I, during the period when Lorraine was part of the German Empire. The cathedral was renovated in neo-gothic style from 1898 to 1903 with the western portal of saints added, designed by Paul Tornow with the interior redesigned and refurbished from 1906 until the First World War.
Visiting the Metz Cathedral
The cathedral marks the center of the Old Town, with the medieval square lined on one side with buttress arcaded houses built on the former Roman ramparts. Directly across from the cathedral is the city tourist office and a few steps away the marvelous city history museum, the Golden Court Museums in the former royal palace (see Golden Court Museum). Metz is one of the few medieval gothic cathedrals with its own underground parking lot. Not directly underneath, but virtually next door. During the Middle-Ages, the square was the place for trade fairs and religious plays. Today, outdoor cafés and restaurants populate the arcades and during Christmas time, the square hosts the beautiful Metz Christmas Market with wooden stalls erected among the medieval arcades. Metz features a number of other beautiful and fascinating churches throughout the city, most notably the Roman era St Pierre aux Nonnains and the Templar Chapel (see Knights Templar
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See Also:
POMPIDOU CENTRE ART MUSEUM - METZ
CASTLE OF THE DUKES OF LORRAINE
SAINT-LOUIS CRYSTAL MUSEUM – BITCHE
