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Metz

(vero;2026-Feb-20)

We liked Metz very much. The city has a pleasant, albeit a little austere, atmosphere with many interesting walks and monuments, a first-class museum and one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in France.

Metz started life as a Celtic oppidum and became part of the Roman Empire under the name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum after Caesar's conquest of the Gaul. At the confluent of two rivers, the Moselle and the Seille, the town was an important staging point at the junction of several Roman roads and became one of the principal towns of Gaul. Later on, from the end of the 3rd century onwards, it fell prey to several attacks from invading tribes, among others the hordes of Attila the Hun who sacked the city in 451 AD. So near to the border of mighty realms, the city has long been subjected to conflicts and torn between German and French influence. After the partition of the Carolingian Empire in 843, Metz became the capital of the kingdom of Lotharingia and part of the Holy Roman Empire. The town was eventually attached to France in 1552 after the signature of the Treaty of Chambord between the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the French King Henri II and remained so until the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 when both Alsace and Lorraine were annexed by Germany, rejoining France at the end of WWI in 1918, only to be re-annexed again during WWII from June 1940 to November 1944.

We have two photo galleries, one for the Cathedral Saint-Étienne and the second underneath for some glimpses of the city of Metz (focused on the Imperial City).

The Cathedral Saint-Étienne (Saint-Stephen)

You may want to check this website in French detailing the stained-glass windows of the cathedral.

The northern facade of Saint-Étienne. The cathedral is remarkable for its size (with 41.41 m in height the third tallest in France after Amiens and Beauvais), the extent of its stained-glass windows (6,496 m²) and the golden glow of the Jaumont stone (quarried near Metz) used in its construction. It is flanked by two towers on each side: the Tower of the Chapter on the north side (69m) and the Tower of Mutte on the south side (90 m).

The northern facade with the Tower of the Chapter. Construction of the Gothic cathedral began in 1220 under the rule of the Bishop of Metz, Conrad of Scharfenberg, by combining under one roof two former churches which were standing next to each other on the site, only separated by a small alley. The first of these, the old cathedral Saint-Étienne had been built over an oratory which had already existed at the time of the sack of the city by the Huns in 451. The second was the collegiate church of Notre-Dame-la-Ronde, built around 1186 and remodelled to fit within the complex. The two towers of the cathedral mark the junction between these two churches. Due to financial and political difficulties that led to a halt in construction, the cathedral was not completed until three centuries later, in 1552.

The impressive flying buttresses around the apse of the cathedral built to support the weight of the chevet. The lean tower with the numerous small windows is the so-called Tower of Charlemagne with a staircase inside, the Tower of the Boule d'Or (Golden Ball) can be seen on the right in the background.

The southern facade, from left to right: the portal of the Virgin, the chapel of Notre-Dame, the tower of the Mutte, the chapel of the Holy Sacrament and the southern side of the transept. Until the 18th century, the cathedral was entered from the south side (the current Portal of the Virgin), which is quite rare in a religious building. However, this entrance was blocked around 1764 when a main entrance portal was created in Neoclassical style on the western side to celebrate the recovery of King Louis XV of an illness. The cathedral suffered heavily during the French Revolution when it lost most of the statuary of its portals and it was not only the German annexation that major restoration works were undertaken: the German architect Paul Tornow replaced both west and south portals with Neo-Gothic works in Jaumont stone and commissioned Auguste Dujardin to create the sculptures.

South side, the rose window of the south transept.

The Portal of the Virgin; it was one of the portals of the former collegiate church of Notre-Dame-la-Ronde and served as main entrance to the new cathedral until it was blocked and replaced by a new entrance on the western facade in the 18th century. It was restored during the annexation and has been since the main entrance to the cathedral.

The Virgin is reminiscent of the statue of the Golden Virgin standing on the central pillar of the south portal of Amiens Cathedral. This is no surprise as Tornow and Dujardin toured famous French Gothic cathedrals in search of inspiration before starting their work.

The tympanum of the Portal of the Virgin is divided into three levels. The upper level depicts the Coronation of the Virgin, the middle one the Dormition of the Virgin with Christ in the middle standing over the body of his mother and framed on either side by one apostle and two angels. The ten other apostles are sculpted on the lower level.

Statues on the left side of the south portal.

Detail of some of the miniature sculptures located under the statues of holy figures located on the sides of the south portal.

West portal, called the Portal of Christ with a Christ blessing the faithful below a tympanum featuring the last judgement. It replaced the Neoclassical portal of the 18th century and was inaugurated in May 1903 by the German Emperor Wilhelm II.

Detail of the tympanum of the last judgement.

Right side of the west portal of Christ.

North portal of Notre-Dame de la Ronde right of the Tower of the Chapter.

Portal of Notre-Dame de la Ronde: left jamb with draperies and fantastical bestiary pictured within lozenges (13th century).

Portal of Notre-Dame de la Ronde: detail of the bestiary. The featured biests are reminiscent of the ones which can be seen on the old medieval ceilings preserved in the Musée de la Cour d'Or (click the link and check pictures 34 to 41 of the medieval gallery).

Portal of Notre-Dame de la Ronde: right jamb depicting (among others) scenes of the life of David. This panel shows David and Goliath on the upper level; the lower level depicts the martyrdom of Saint Maurice (13th century).

The cathedral dominating the old town and a view of the north transept.

Jutting gargoyles on the western facade.

A bit of trivia: the German Emperor Wilhelm I visited Metz for the first time in May 1877, seven years after the annexation. To honour his visit, city employees climbed on the roof of the cathedral to set off fireworks which started a fire and destroyed the entire wooden roof. Fortunately, the interior was not damaged. The Emperor felt responsible for the disaster and decided to pay for the entire restoration of the cathedral out of his own pocket. After his death in March 1888 and the one of his son Frederick III three months later, it was his grandson, Wilhelm II, who honoured his commitment. So it came that when restoring the western portal, architect Paul Tornow and sculptor Auguste Dujardin gave the prophet Daniel the features of Emperor Wilhelm II. Once the Moselle region became French again in 1918, a sign bearing the inscription "sic transit gloria mundi" (thus passes the glory of the world) was placed around his neck, but the statue remained intact. In the 1940s, the moustache was removed on the orders of the Nazi authorities, who did not accept that a German emperor should lend his features to an Old Testament prophet.

After Amiens and Beauvais, Saint-Étienne has the third-highest cathedral nave in France with 41.41 metres heigth. It is nicknamed la Lanterne du Bon Dieu ("the Good Lord's lantern") and displays the largest expanse of stained glass in the world, totalling 6,496 m2.

Saint-Étienne Cathedral contains stained glass windows from all periods, from the 13th to the 20th centuries. These windows of the chapel of Notre-Dame la Ronde by Mayer of Munich date from the 19th century and show the Virgin Mary praying, in Glory and at the foot of the Cross.

Detail of the window of the chapel of ND de la Ronde by Mayer of Munich showing the Virgin in Glory.

Detail of the window of the chapel of ND de la Ronde by Mayer of Munich.

The western window created by Hermann of Münster in the 14th century.

The windows of the Choir by Valentin Bousch date from the 16th century.

Close-up of the windows of the Choir by Valentin Bousch (16th century).

Window by Marc Chagall in the north transept, 1961. From left to right: the creation of man - the creation of animals - the creation of woman - the expulsion from paradise.

Window by Marc Chagall in the north deambulatory, 1961. From left to right: The Sacrifice of Isaac - Jacob and the Angel - Jacob's Dream - Moses and the Burning Bush.

Window by Marc Chagall in the north deambulatory, 1961. From left to right: Moses receives the tablets of the Law - David and Bathsheba - the exodus of the Jewish people.

This view of the interior of the cathedral explains its nickname of "Good Lord's Lantern".

The windows of the nave and the transept on three levels allow a maximum of light to flood the cathedral.

Triptych with the Virgin framed by Saint Dominic on the left and Saint Bernard on the right.

The triptych of Saint Clare in the deambulatory. Saint Clare is framed by Saint Francis on the right and by Saint Clement on the left. Saint Clement is pictured with a small dragon crouched at his right foot. This is the Graoully, a mythical dragon which has become the symbol of Metz and the Lorraine. According to legend, the Graoully was a fearsome dragon that lived in the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre in Metz and terrorised the city in the 3rd century. It was subdued with the sign of the cross by Saint Clement of Metz, the city's first bishop who led it into the river Seille to disappear for ever.

Painting of Saint Gain patron of the Glovers (1481).

Organ in the triforium of the cathedral, hanging as a "swift nest". It was built in 1537 by Jehan de Trêves, and rebuilt in 1981 by Marc Garnier.

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Views of the city of Metz (mostly the Imperial City)

The old town has roughly the form of a triangle topped on the north by the confluent of the rivers Moselle and Seille and framed on the left (west) by the Moselle and the Seille on the right (east). The base of the triangle opens southwards onto an open esplanade , the citadel and further away the so-called Imperial City. The main shopping streets run parallel to the river Moselle in a north west direction (rue Serpenoise, rue des Clercs and rue aux Ours) and a ring of boulevards following the outline of the former city ramparts encloses the city centre. On the southern side lies the Imperial City, the "new" town built around the railway station by the German during the annexation. Since 2010 Metz is also home to a subsidiary of the Centre Pompidou, housed in a futuristic building; we did not visit but it seems to have become a main draw for visitors.

The town is easy and pleasant to explore, we recommend this city map with short descriptions published by the tourism office to help you discover the major sights of the city.

When Metz was annexed to the German Empire, the German authorities decided to make its urban planning a showcase for the Wilhelmine Empire. Numerous new buildings were built in all kind of "Neo" styles in the area south of town which came to be known as Imperial City: Neo-Romanesque for the central post office, the new temple (pictured on this photo) and the new railway station; Neo-Gothic for the cathedral portal and the Garrison Temple, Neo-Renaissance for the Governor's Palace, just to name a few. This building frenzy reflected the will of the Emperor Wilhelm II to establish his hold on the city by "germanising" its architecture, an attempt to win over the annexed populations by demonstrating the benefits of a return to the fold of the German Empire.

The Protestant Temple Neuf (new temple) erected in 1903 during the annexation is located on an island in the middle of the river Moselle. It was inaugurated on 14 May 1904 in the presence of Wilhelm II, German Emperor.

The Temple Neuf and the cathedral on the Colline (Hill) Sainte Croix overlooking the old town.

The railway station of Metz built by the German between 1905 and 1908 in a Rhenish Neo-Romanesque style which we would rather call "Kolossal"... It is not to everybody's taste but has won the title of most beautiful railway station of France four times (2017, 2018, 2021 and 2024).

The front of the railway station. It is the third station ever built in Metz. The first one built in 1850 burnt down in 1872 and was replaced by a second one inaugurated in 1878. However, due to increasing traffic and for military reasons, it was decided to build a third one inaugurated in 1908. The primary function of this new station was indeed military: it was the terminus of the so-called "cannon line", a strategic railway line which enabled to move German troops to the western border of the Reich in the shortest possible time. The new facilities enabled the transport of 20,000 men in twenty-four hours. The platforms were wide and long, and there was a large shunting area allowing the rapid loading and unloading of men, equipment and horses.

The station is located on the place Charles de Gaulle. The clock tower has a height of 40m and the sculpted decorations on the facade were designed to evoke Germanic values and the power of the Empire.

Statue of the Knight Roland with his sword Durandal on a corner of the station's facade.

Capital of a column in the station. A Zeppelin in the air on the left and a powerful locomotive on the right. Both illustrate the industrial progress and might of the German Empire.

Capital of a column in the station featuring a travellers couple.

The old post office built by the German in 1911 with red sandstone from the Vosges. A typical style seen in many public buildings in the Rhenish regions of Germany, particularly in the Rhineland-Palatinate.

Former water tower of the railway station; it supplied water to the steam locomotives and had a capacity of 300 m³.

These striking stained-glass windows can be found in the church of Saint Maximin (12-15th century) in the Quartier Outre-Seille. They are based on sketches drawn by the famous French artist Click here to view them all.

The Cocteau windows in the church of Saint Maximin.

The Porte des Allemands. It is a fortified city gate on the eastern side of Metz. From the 13th century to the early 20th century, it served also as a bridge over the river Seille. Today, the building is the most important remnant of Metz's medieval ramparts, a real fortress equipped with towers, battlements and machicolations. It is named after the Knights of the Teutonic Order who had their quarters in a nearby street at the time.

Another view of the Porte des Allemands.

The Chapelle des Templiers (Templars' chapel). It was built between 1180 and 1220 and although Roman in its core, it has some Gothic elements added later in the inside.

Chapelle des Templiers. All its walls are covered with murals which have been restored between 1910 and 1913 although some ancient frescoes dating from the 14th, badly damaged, are still visible.

The painted dome of the Chapelle des Templiers.

Another remnant of the German Annexation: the palace of the military Governor (built 1902-05 in Neo-Renaissance style) where Wilhelm II stayed when he visited the city.

The Porte Serpenoise. It was built in 1852, not far from where a former city gate once stood. It was originally a 30-metre-long curved tunnel passing through the embankment of the southern rampart of the citadel. In 1902-1903, when the ramparts were dismantled, the gate was redesigned and took on its current form as a triumphal arch. Only a section of the gate was preserved, and four turrets and a staircase were added.

Typical "bourgeois" buildings in the Imperial City, built during the annexation.

The area right north of the train station includes many nice houses which reminded us of a German city. This house (and the next ones) could as well be in Wiesbaden (where we lived many years): same style.

This pink sandstone building in Neo-Renaissance style was built during the annexation (1909) and was intended to house the central committee of the guilds. It currently houses a theatre, a restaurant and a few shops.

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Go back to Le Mans or go on to Rouen or go up to Cathedral Cities