Metz Cathedral
Metz Cathedral, otherwise the Cathedral of Saint Stephen, Metz, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Metz, capital of Lorraine, France. Dedicated to Saint Stephen, it is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz as the seat of the bishops of Metz. The cathedral treasury displays the collection, assembled over 1,000 years, of the bishopric of Metz, including paraments and items used for the Eucharist.
Metz Cathedral has one of the highest naves in the world. It is nicknamed la Lanterne du Bon Dieu, displaying the largest expanse of stained glass in the world with. The stained glass windows include works by Gothic and Renaissance master glass makers Hermann von Münster, Theobald of Lixheim, and Valentin Bousch. Later artistic styles are represented by Charles-Laurent Maréchal, Roger Bissière, Jacques Villon, and Marc Chagall.
Architecture
Metz Cathedral is a Rayonnant Gothic edifice built of the local yellow Jaumont limestone. As in French Gothic architecture, the building is compact, with slight projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. However, it displays singular, distinctive characteristics in both its ground plan and architecture compared to most other cathedrals. Because of the topography of the Moselle valley in Metz, the common west-east axis of the ground plan could not be applied and the church is oriented north-northeast. Moreover, unlike the French and German Gothic cathedrals having three portals surmounted by a rose window and two large towers, this one has a single porch at its western front. The entrance is to the side of the building through another portal placed at the south-western side of the narthex, avoiding the usual alignment of the entrance with the choir.The nave is supported by flying buttresses and culminates at high, making it one of the highest naves in the world. The height of the nave is contrasted by the relatively low height of the aisles at high, reinforcing the sensation of tallness of the nave. This feature permitted the architects to create large, tall expanses of stained glass. Through its history the cathedral has been subjected to architectural and ornamental modifications with successive additions of Neoclassical and Neogothic elements.
Construction history
The cathedral was built on an ancient site from the 5th century dedicated to Saint Stephen the Protomartyr. According to Gregory of Tours, the shrine of Saint Stephen was the sole structure spared during the sack of 451 by Attila's Huns. The construction of the present Gothic cathedral began in 1220 within the walls of an Ottonian basilica dating from the 10th century. The integration into the cathedral's ground plan of a Gothic chapel from the 12th century at the western end resulted in the absence of a main western portal, the south-western porch of the cathedral being the entrance of the former chapel. The work was completed around 1520 and the new cathedral was consecrated on 11 April 1552.In 1755, French architect Jacques-François Blondel was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Architecture to build a Neoclassical portal at the west end of the cathedral. He separated the cathedral's façade by razing an adjacent cloister and three attached churches, and completed the westwork in 1764.
In 1877, the cathedral was heavily damaged after a conflagration caused by fireworks. After this incident, it was decided to refurbish the cathedral and its adornments in a Neogothic style. The western front was completely rebuilt between 1898 and 1903; Blondel's portal was demolished and a new Neogothic portal was added.
Timeline of construction
- 984–c.1040 Construction of an Ottonian basilica over an ancient shrine dedicated to Saint Stephen
- c.1180–1207 Construction of a chapel in Early Gothic style on the west side of the basilica
- 1220 Beginning of the construction of the Gothic cathedral within the foundations of the Ottonian basilica, construction of the aisles
- 1265–1285 Construction of the triforia and the two bell towers
- 1285–c.1290 Elevation of the westwork within the foundations of a Gothic chapel from the 12th century
- 1290s Construction of the vaults of the nave and the supporting flying buttresses
- c.1300–1330s Construction of the Lady Chapel
- 1380 Junction between the former Gothic chapel and the nave
- 1384 Creation of the stained glass tympanum of the west facade and the rose window by master glass maker Hermann von Münster
- 1478–1483 Elevation of the spire
- 1486–1490s Construction of the northern transept
- 1504 Creation of the stained glass tympanum of the northern transept by master glass maker Theobald of Lixheim
- c.1490–1500s Construction of the Gothic choir and east end
- 1504–1520s Construction of the southern transept
- 1518-1539 Stained glass by master glass maker Valentin Bousch, including the tympanum on the southern transept
- 1761–1764 Neoclassical refurbishment conducted by Jacques-François Blondel
- c.1850–1880s Destruction of the ornaments of Jacques-François Blondel
- 1889–1903 Construction of a Neogothic portal on the west front
- 1958–1960 Stained glass windows of Marc Chagall
Architectural elements and ground plan
| Number | Architectural element | Plan of Metz Cathedral |
| 1 | Westwork | |
| 2 | Porch | |
| 3 | Portal Portal of the Virgin | |
| 4 | Narthex | |
| 5 | Side chapel Blessed Sacrament chapel | |
| 6 | Spire Mutte tower | |
| 7 | Lady Chapel | |
| 8 | Aisle | |
| 9 | Organ | |
| 10 | Southern transept | |
| 11 | Entrance of the crypt | |
| 12 | Apse chapel | |
| 13 | Ambulatory | |
| 14 | Apse | |
| 15 | East end | |
| 16 | Apse chapel | |
| 17 | Northern transept | |
| 18 | Aisle | |
| 19 | Bell tower Capitulum tower | |
| 20 | Altar candle | |
| 21 | Nave | |
| 22 | Crossing of the transept | |
| 23 | Altar | |
| 24 | Lectern | |
| 25 | Choir | |
| 26 | Axis | The elements 1, 2, 4, 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22, 23, and 25 constitute the axis. On its exterior, the cathedral is long. |
Stained glass
The stained glass windows, which together constitute the largest expanse of ancient stained glass in a single building, were made by the master craftsmen Hermann von Münster in the fourteenth century, and Valentin Bousch in the sixteenth. In the twentieth century the artist Marc Chagall created three stained glass windows for the cathedral between 1958 and 1968. Roger Bissière and Jacques Villon provided designs for further windows, including the complete chapel of the Holy Sacrament.| Number | Master glass maker | Plan of Saint-Stephen of Metz |
| 1 | Hermann von Münster's windows | |
| 2 | Jacques Villon's windows | |
| 3 | Valentin Bousch's windows | |
| 4 | Valentin Bousch's windows | |
| 5 | Marc Chagall's windows | |
| 6 | Theobald of Lixheim's windows | |
| 7 | Marc Chagall's windows | |
| 8 | Roger Bissière's windows |