And let me get back to the east and many nice memories of family visits over the years, We were drawn here first by the Christmas market and then more trips to the wonderful Metz in the Moselle dept 57 of the Grand Est region of my belle France! I am glad found me again pictures in my cd rom vaults to share in my blog for you and me, This is an awesome City with plenty of architecture and history to be back several times, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Church Saint Maximin of Metz !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Church Saint Maximin offers a glimpse into three different architectural styles. Indeed, its construction took a relatively long time, spanning several periods. It also underwent alterations during the 19C. The Louve Chapel and the Gournay Chapel were founded in the 14C and are Flamboyant Gothic. In the nave, the engaged columns rise directly toward the vault, without capitals, which is characteristic of the 15C. Both chapels have remarkable vaults. In the Louve Chapel, there is a sumptuous niche housing a Virgin and Child. The Gournay chapel has a beautiful continuous reticulated vault, each keystone of which is sculpted in the shape of a coat of arms. The coats of arms are now bare but must have been polychrome, bearing, among other things, the Gournay coat of arms. Two keystones are adorned with floral motifs. A trilobed niche houses a medieval liturgical washbasin, used for the maintenance of liturgical objects. There is also a door, now walled up, made of marble and limestone. It notably features two black marble medallions.
It was probably built as early as the 12C on the orders of Bishop Bertram, due to the development of the neighborhood. However, few documents concerning its construction have survived. Its first name was Saint-Maximin-outre-Seille. There probably already existed a church erected around the 5C on the Roman road leading to Strasbourg. The new church was not completed until the 15C, which explains why it straddles the Romanesque and Gothic styles. It retains important 12C Romanesque elements: the choir, lit by round-arched windows, the transept crossing, and the bell tower. The choir is surmounted by an elegant fan vault, the keystone of which is carved with an Agnus Dei. The transept crossing has engaged columns topped with Romanesque capitals featuring plant motifs. It is covered with a star-shaped vault reminiscent of that of the Templar Chapel and typical of Romanesque architecture in Lorraine. Outside, the church retains its powerful 13C buttresses. The transept arms, the nave, and the side aisles were built in the 14C and 15C and are therefore Gothic.
Despite the combination of two very different styles, Romanesque and Gothic, the church retains a certain coherence. The interior is very simple and intimate, and the Gothic architects were careful to avoid excessive opulence, which would have detracted from the overall effect. The church underwent a renovation in the mid-18C, when the central portal was replaced with a new Baroque-style structure. The two side portals were added in 1872 and the upper nave windows in 1874. Finally, in 1876, the south aisle was widened. The central portal, slightly domed, is the most decorated. Its uprights are smooth pilasters with Ionic capitals. It features a curvilinear pediment decorated with plant motifs and surmounted by three vases of flowers. Finally, the church boasts stained-glass windows created in the 1960s by Jean Cocteau. In shades of blue, they depict figures, crosses, animals, flowers, and masks.
The city of Metz on the church: https://metz.fr/lieux/lieu-211.php
The Metz tourist office on the church: https://www.tourisme-metz.com/en/page/838140155-saint-maximin-s-church
There you go folks, a wonderful monument of a beautiful architecturally and historically stunning City, Metz is it ,it is worth the detour, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church Saint Maximin of Metz !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 