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This long square is situated on the other side of the Arc de Triomphe and is visible from Place Stanislas. It was initially used for jousting and tournaments, hence its name of “Carrière” (originally meaning ‘racecourse’ in French). The Lorraine Museum holds some of the etchings of Jacques Callot (an engraver from Nancy, 1692-1735) depicting the square.
The square was remodelled in the 18th century by architect Héré, in order to display symmetry in the perspective leading to the Place Stanislas, which meant that all the facades of the houses bordering the square were to be modified.
Nancy was the capital of the Dukes of Lorraine until its union with France in 1766. Nancy was made famous during the Belle Epoque thanks to the “Ecole de Nancy”. Today, the city of 350,000 inhabitants houses thousands of students and it displays a rich cultural life and is only 1h30 from Paris by TGV.
If anyone has heard of Nancy, it is likely because of its remarkable Place Stanislas. However, the UNESCO listed the no less remarkable neighbouring squares of Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance as World Heritage Sites. Together with the Pépinière Park and the nearby cathedral, the squares of Nancy represent average-sized European city as we like it.
Place de la Carrière and Palais du Gouvernement
In the centre of the square is a platform bordered by a low wall adorned with vases, allegorical figures and fountains at its corners.
At its North and South extremities, you can admire the magnificent railings of Lamour, which are the same as those that are found in Place Stanislas.
To the North of the square stands the Palais du Gouvernement, which Stanislas wanted in order to magnificently end the perspective which spans from the Town Hall in Place Stanislas. The classical building closes a semicircle of columns decorated with antique divinities.
NANCY, the 18th c. district
Nancy features an exceptional architectural ensemble of the 18th century which is absolutely beautiful with its three squares: Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance, all listed by the UNESCO in 1983. Nearby you can also find the restful Pépinière Park and Nancy’s cathedral.
Palais du Gouvernement, Nancy
The Pépinière Park is adjacent to the Place Stanislas, which can be reached through the golden arches of the fountain of Amphritite. Covering 21 hectares, the park is located in the centre of Nancy. It is often described as being the lungs of the city, whose locals affectuously call it “la Pep”.
It was commissionned by Stanislas in 1765 as royal nurseries which were created along the city’s ramparts, in an attempt to link the Old Town to the New Town of Nancy.
Pépinière is French for nurserie. The park was originally created to raise trees to be planted along the main roads in Lorraine.
The Pépinière Park
Today, the Pépinière has become the perfect spot for joggers, dreamers, and lovers of nature. It includes an animal enclosure. People who have been living in Nancy for decades remember the time when it used to be home to bears, lions, monkeys and Australian kangaroos. Children loved giving dry bread to the deers and throwing peanuts to the bears. Exotic animals are no longer kept in the Pépinière, however many peacocks, ducks, white storks, swans, as well as donkeys and goats still wander around the park, and if you are lucky enough, you might see the male peacocks strutting their tails to impress their female counterparts!
According to a report from Nancy’s Tourist Board, there are more than 22,000 trees and 125 floral-displays throughout the town, enhanced by a further 1,525 urns and jardinières.
Like any other European city, summer floral displays are an essential part of the council’s policy for promoting tourism. There are more than 185,000 plants and flowers displayed in autumn and spring, with about 330,000 plants in summer.
The Pépinière’s bandstand
The Place d’Alliance is certainly the smallest, however the most intimate square of Nancy. It is located just a stone’s throw from the Place Stanislas. It was listed by the UNESCO as a work of art, of peace and refinement.
By its name, the square recalls an 18th century alliance between the Houses of Lorraine-Habsburg (Austria) and of France. In its centre is a remarkable fountain designed by Cyfflé, inspired by Bernini’s fountain in the Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy.
The Place d’Alliance
This fountain was erected in 1753 to stand in the centre of the Hémicycle de la Carrière to celebrate Louis XV’s victories.
It was transferred to Place d’Alliance three years later, and was modified in order to symbolise the “new Alliance” forged between the Kingdom of France and Austria.
Three river-gods (the Moselle, the Meurthe and the Meuse) empty their urns into a pond. They also carry on their shoulders an obelisk made of stone. On the top stands a winged-genie, blowing a trumpet.
The Cathedral was built at the beginning of the 18th century by architects Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Germain Boffrand. The church’s interesting features lie in the railings by Jean Lamour, a cupola painted by Jacquard and an organ, which has been classified as an "historical landmark". Additionally, several paintings by local artists from the 17th and 18th century are exhibited.
The Cathedral of Nancy
Historically, the presence of the cathedral in Nancy is due to the personal ambitions of the Dukes of Lorraine. When the Three Bishoprics of Toul, Metz and Verdun in Lorraine were integrated into the Kingdom of France in the 16th century, the territory of the Dukes of Lorraine had no town with any kind of religious importance. Nancy’s closest bishopric town, Toul, suffered from a fading influence. As for the upheaval of the Reformation, it did not fail to have an effect on the behaviour of the clergy in Lorraine.
But from 1709 to 1715, work was again suspended. At the time of the construction, the famous French architect Jules-Hardouin Mansart, severely criticized Betto’s plans, and proposed the addition of a lantern-dome at the transept crossing, which would balance the volumes better and add a majestic touch to the church. Probably for financial reasons the dome was not erected... if it was, this would have rendered to Nancy an impressive landmark.
Ceiling of Nancy’s cathedral
Place Stanislas
Parc de la Pépinière
Place de la Carrière
Place d’Alliance
Palais du Gouvernement
Cathédrale
In the Pépinière, make sure you walk through the beautiful “kiosque à musique”, dating from 1875. This circular structure, set in the English garden part of the Pépinière, was designed to accomodate musical bands performing outdoor concerts. It is still - but occasionnally - in use today. The bandstand singularly recalls some of the features of Place Stanislas’ railings, with its gold leaves and served as a model for other French towns’ kiosks.
In 1835, the Pépinière was bought by the City of Nancy which decided to open it to the public. Later on, an English garden was set up in 1877 with winding paths. The rest of the Park is layed out on the initial squares of the royal nursery, where alleys cross at right angles. The stroller can discover the rosery, the animal enclosure, and playgrounds for children. Some sculptures are spread out across the park, including that of Claude Le Lorrain, from Rodin.
He saw generations of Nancy dwellers growing up, and was at the centre of a multitude of souvenirs filled with emotion. Jojo is Nancy’s most famous monkey that parents show to their kids, then to their grand-children, and so on...
He has become such a legend that rumours about him have started to arise in the talks on the city: is it still “him”? Is he still alive? Some believe some kind of conspiracy: “He has secretly been replaced by an identical monkey”...
Jojo the chimpanzee is a local icon, the star of “la Pep”.
Another nostalgic moment is to buy a warm waffle from one of the stands in the park, and to sit down on one of the benches in the English garden, watching the world go by.
So what’s the story? Jojo is nearly 60 years old, and is Europe’s oldest monkey living in captivity. Born in 1951 in Centrafrica, he was given along with Catherine, a female chimpanzee, by an MP to the city of Nancy in 1963. However, his spouse did not live long with the Lorraine climate. In 1984, after a long widowhood, Jojo was at last given another companion, Judith, who became a specialist at throwing excrement at the visitors. This other phenomenom accidentally died in 2003.
Since the 1960s, Jojo the monkey has become famous because of his interaction with the visitors. Not all of them had good intentions towards him... as some taught him naughty tricks! Some people used to hand to him lit cigarettes that he would smoke nonchalently, in front of the amused visitors. He would drink water and then spit it out onto the crowd assembled behind his bars. The children found this very exciting and would scream.
On other occassions, he would come nearer to the crowd, turn around and with great pride show his behind to the world.
Jojo has grown older now, but he is still in good health (thanks to a careful diet based on bifidus yoghurt!) and keeps acting like a playful child, with his own particular loud mouth.
On your next visit ot “la Pep”, look for Jojo the monkey!
Place Stanislas
The square is a good example of French classicism. The pavilions were built by Emmanuel Héré, and the wrought-iron railings are the work of Jean Lamour. These have made the city famous: finely decorated with gold leaves, occasionally you can find them around fountains designed by Barthélemy Guibal.
To know more about the Place Stanislas and the Arc de Triomphe, read our feature page on Nancy’s royal square here...
Duke Charles III did indeed dream of reinforcing the importance of his states by obtaining a diocese in Nancy from the Pope, to compete with the Three Bishoprics. But in his attemps, he only succeeded in getting a Primatial chapter, immediately dedicated to Our Lady of the Annunciation. The Duke also managed to transfer into the Primatial the relics of Saint Sigisbert, King of Austrasia during the 7th century.
But the Thirty Years War (1618-1848) delayed the construction of the church until it was resumed in the 17th century when Prince François, laid the first stone of the new Primatial, commissionned from Italian architect Giovanni Betto.
When Betto died in 1722, leaving the Cathedral unfinished, the notorious architect Germain Boffrand was commissionned to lead the work to its end. Boffrand had to work from what his predecessor had been building, which was not an easy task. The facade of the Primatial, with their small towers was designed in order to make visible the large dome initially planned. But when it was decided that the dome was too expensive to build, the harmony of the facade was compromised. Boffrand found a way of erecting a third level in the centre of the facade between the two towers, topped by a rounded pediment carrying the Duke of Lorraine’s coat of arms and surmounted by a cross. Then Boffrand added the two elegant cylindric lanterns (1729) on top of the squared based towers, at a height of 78 metres.
In November 1742, the first mass was celebrated in the Primatial while the interior works continued.
During the Revolution, the Cathedral was desecrated and became a Temple for the Cult of Reason. Even if the facade sculptures were destroyed, the building nevertheless became a refuge of religious art works belonging to churches that had been destroyed. The organ survived from destruction thanks to a patriotic organist who performed the "Ah! ça ira" anthem of the French Revolution.
The Cathedral was elevated to the rank of basilica, a privileged church in 1867.
In the nave are large archways separated by a colossal order of Corinthian pilasters. In their spandrels are sculpted angels that are carrying the Virgin’s symbols, inspired by the Litanies, the Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs.
Inside the Cathedral
In the transept crossing you can admire a relatively modest cupola (when compared to Mansart’s initial plans), erected on pendentives. From 1723 to 1727, Joseph Jacquart painted a large fresco depicting the celestial glory, consisting of 150 figures symbolising the Old and New Testaments, and the great Doctors of the Church, all gathered around the Holy Trinity. The cupola is 15 metres in diameter and is best admired when the occasional light is projected straight onto it.
Three large screens holding the paintings of Claude Charles, a native of Nancy, decorates the Cathedral’s apse. They depict the crowning of Saint Sigisbert (left) and Saint Sigisbert helping the poor (right). The painting of the middle in-between shows flying angels in the thick clouds. A large Christ on the Cross, possibly from Ligier Rigier, is fixed on the wall of the right minor apse.
In the loft above the Cathedral entrance stands a large 16 foot organ built by the Dupont brothers in 1757. The reputed organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll expanded its capacity to 32 feet in 1861.
Your visit to Nancy can be extended towards the Church St Sebastian (Eglise St Sébastien) and Church of Our Lady of Good Help (Eglise de Bonsecours). Then, in Nancy you will find yourself in the cradle of Art Nouveau (French for “New Art”), for which the Lorraine town played a major role within this artistic movement.
Many houses and mansion are to be discovered throughout the city, starting from the Excelsior Brasserie, a stone’s throw from the railway station.
Our ‘French Moments’ pages on Nancy, Lorraine:
Nancy - the Old Town and its history.
Saint Nicolas in Nancy - the Lorraine city hosts a major event on Saint Nicolas’ Day.
Mansart’s proposed plans for the cathedral of Nancy.
The lateral chapels are closed by rococo railings executed by Jean Lamour and his apprentice François Jeanmaire. They are similar to those in Place Stanislas.
The railings by Jean Lamour.
The nave’s archways.
Nancy - Place Stanislas: a magnificent square built in the heart of the Golden Gate city.
L’ensemble du 18e siècle de Nancy