Cathedrals of Lorraine

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GOTHIC CATHEDRALS OF LORRAINE: Metz, Toul and St-Nicolas-de-Port

When thinking of French cathedrals, the cities of Chartres, Reims, Rouen or even Amiens often come to mind. Lorraine however, though often forgotten by mass tourism, is not to be outdone. Three towns are proudly home to jewels of gothic art in Lorraine: Metz, Toul and Saint-Nicolas de Port. Recently renovated, these cathedrals are an excellent pretext for spending time in this region in France’s northeast.

How to get to Lorraine...

Lorraine is easily accessible by car from Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Switzerland and Germany with a large network of motorways.

From Paris, take the N4 road (which is a dual carriageway from Vitry-le-François to Nancy) to Toul or the A4 motorway to Metz.

If you travel from Australia you could take a flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and rent a car from there. A TGV from the airport railway station can bring you straight to the Lorraine region central station in just under 1.30 hours.

The TGV from Paris-Gare de l’Est takes just over 1.30 hours to Nancy and Metz.

The countryside of Lorraine viewed from Toul

Get travel advice about Lorraine!

If you live in Sydney and are planning a trip to these regions and want to know more about its popular attractions, we can advise you.

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Construction of Saint-Etienne Cathedral in Metz commenced in the 1220s, on the site of an older religious building. Its unique ochre-yellow colour is due to the use of a quality local stone: the stone of Jaumont. It took three centuries to complete the cathedral, which was consecrated in 1552.

METZ: Saint-Etienne Cathedral

This page was originally written in French and translated into English by Alison Walden for French Moments.

Impressive stained-glass windows, statuary, crypt, magnificently crafted gothic architecture: the Saint-Etienne Cathedral in Metz is, not surprisingly, the most visited religious structure in Lorraine.

A bit of history

Certain developments have since been undertaken:

The classic great door, erected in the 18th Century, was later destroyed by the authorities under the Prussian annexation in the 19th and 20th centuries, to be replaced by a tympanum of neo-gothic portico containing a plethora of statues, more in line with the rest of the building.

In May 1877, fireworks organised from the roof of the cathedral in honour of the German emperor William II caused a fire which completely destroyed the roof and its wooden framework. Between 1880 and 1882, the authorities decided to raise the height of the new copper roof by 4.5 metres. This limits the rake of the towers, which now seem under proportioned.

Once inside the cathedral, the nave impresses by the height of its arch, suspended 40 metres above the ground. It is the 3rd highest nave in France. The poet Verlaine had rightly written that the cathedral was “the lantern of God”. In fact, the building contains the largest surface area of stained glass of all French cathedrals (almost 6,500 square metres). The 14th century stained-glass windows by Hermann de Münster rival the contemporary products of Marc Chagall and Jacques Villon.

The most luminous cathedral in France

Observation of the furniture and the statuary is often neglected in such a cathedral where the visitor’s gaze is drawn upward. It is worth noticing a small Renaissance organ from 1527 which creates a beautiful tone suspended in the nave. The expression of a statue of Christ with links to the 16th century in the chapel of Saint-Sacrement garners interest, as well as the baptismal fonts located in the nave, opposite the entry and the Episcopal throne of Saint-Clement. (read our page on the Old Town of Metz to learn more about the legend of Saint-Clement).

According to the cathedral’s reception staff, for safety reasons it is unfortunately no longer possible to climb the Tower of the Mutte and no date has been set for its reopening.

The cathedral’s crypt

The cathedral’s crypt (admission fee payable) reveals itself to be an interesting place. In the first 2 rooms it contains models of the Metz cathedral in different eras as well as the great cathedrals of France. A third room houses the funerary chapel.

The cathedral is a perfect example of flamboyant gothic art in Lorraine with its two towers visible from afar. The first stone of the current cathedral was laid in 1221. Work commenced on the chancel by reusing part of the foundations of the old Roman building. The chancel was completed in 1235. Because of the wars between the Lorrainians and Burgundians and a lack of funds, construction of the facade and of the towers was completed in 1496 in the flamboyant gothic style.

TOUL: Saint-Etienne Cathedral

Approaching Toul, visitors admire the elegant silhouette of the cathedral, a witness to the rich historic past of this ancestral Lorraine city.

A bit of history

The cathedral suffered greatly during the Second World War from bombings which sparked fires. The entire roof was destroyed and its restoration took more than forty years. Then in 1978, the cathedral closed for safety reasons.

The facade of the cathedral deserves to be attentively observed, by virtue of the splendour of the flamboyant gothic style. The tympanums of the three porticos unfortunately lost their 139 statues in the Revolution. The octagonal towers of the facade, while impressive, only measure 65 metres in height. Initially, it was anticipated that they would be topped with spires, following the style of the cathedrals of Cologne or Chartres.

The facade of the cathedral of Toul

Then a second flight of spiral stairs leads to the summit of the South tower, which has a magnificent 360 degree view of the town of Toul, its Vauban fortifications, the magnificent Moselle River and the countryside of Toul (locally called the Toulois).

Climbing the towers of Toul’s cathedral

For amateurs of and those curious about gothic art, it is possible to climb up the some 360 steps leading to the top of the South tower. The first spiral staircases open onto the gallery linking the two towers, which it is possible to go around. It is a world of gargoyles and other gothic decorations, almost invisible from the street, which reveals itself to the visitor.

The residents of the small town of Toul have good reason to be proud of their beautiful cathedral. And yet, it avoided the worst of the bombings of the Second World War which required several decades of restoration.

Work on the exterior was completed in 1995, with the restoration of the clock tower of the golden ball at the junction of the transept. Since 2008, the bulk of the interior work has finally allowed us to appreciate the cathedral in its former splendour. However, restoration of a beautiful side chapel (under construction until 2012) still needs to be done. The interior restorations have emphasized the bays of the nave, including the paintings.

In 1532, the diocese had a Renaissance-style side chapel built: the All Saints Chapel. This chapel is unique in its kind, by virtue of its trompe l’oeil dome, achieved by using different processes of perspective. The dome is crowned by a pretty little skylight.

The interior of Toul’s cathedral

Two things surprise the visitor upon entering Toul Cathedral: on the one hand, its great luminosity, due to the multiplicity of stained glass windows and to the very white limestone; and on the other hand, the high nave, simultaneously giving an impression of lightness and strength.

On the interior walls, blind trefoil arches surmount the plinths that carried statues, destroyed in the Revolution. This space of serenity transports us into the past when the monks would come here to pray, under the piercing eye of some gargoyles that warrant close attention.

The cathedral’s cloister

At 54m by 42m, the cloister of the cathedral is reputed to be the largest in France after that of the Mont Saint Michel in Normandy. Situated below the level of the cathedral, it opens onto the garden through large triangular bay windows formed by two lancet windows surmounted by three open oculi.

This building in the flamboyant gothic style was erected from 1481 to 1560 by the duke of Lorraine, René II. By replacing the small church with a majestic building, the duke wished to thank Saint-Nicolas for his victory against Charles the Bold, at the battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477. The outcome of the battle allowed Lorraine to remain independent until its annexation by the Kingdom of France in 1766.

SAINT-NICOLAS-DE-PORT: the Basilica

It has all the makings of a grand cathedral: two tall, slender 85m towers topped with bulb bell towers, a long nave of 11 spans culminating at 30m above the ground and two 21.5m high columns (the highest in France) at the level of the transept.

A bit of history

The Basilica suffered considerable damage in the bombings of June 1940 during the Second World War. In 1980, Camille Crouée Friedman, a native of the town living in New York, died, leaving a considerable sum “with the goal of reconstructing and maintaining the basilica, so that it regains its original beauty”. This legacy allowed for restoration of the building over 15 years, all through the 80s and 90s.

The summit of the towers is unfortunately inaccessible to visitors. But observation of the facade shows how much the builders put all their talent to use. Saint Nicolas welcomes visitors from the top of its niche, between the two large entry doors.

The facade of the St Nicolas’ basilica

The interior of the basilica

As soon as you enter the building you notice a curious detail: the nave is not rectilinear. In fact, the great particularity of the Basilica is the six degree deviation to the right of the axis of the nave. Several contradictory hypotheses have been proposed to explain this non-alignment.

The Saint-Nicolas-de-Port Basilica was the largest pilgrimage centre of Lorraine. The Lorrainians came there in droves to pay homage to their protector saint: Saint Nicolas.

The columns feature numerous stone paintings: the Descent from the Cross, Job, Saint Yves, Saint Martin, Saint Aprône, and Saint Didier.

Most of the stained glass windows were destroyed during the Thirty Year’s War in 1635. However, some beautiful 16th Century glasswork still remains.

The surprising interior luminosity is due to cleverly crossing diagonal ribs substituting walls and the colour of the stone with huge windows. The homogeneity of the flamboyant gothic art is remarkable, with the extreme sobriety of the architecture being rather rare on the eve of the Renaissance.

Useful websites (in English):

Tourist information site of Lorraine:

www.tourisme-lorraine.fr

Tourist board of Toul and surroundings:

www.lepredenancy.fr (in French)

Tourist board of Metz:

http://tourisme.mairie-metz.fr

Tourist board of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port:

www.saintnicolasdeport.com

And yet, the building does not carry the title of cathedral for the sole reason that the town of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port has never been the seat of a bishop.