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Origin and history

The Abbey of Saint-Arnould, also known as the Abbey of Saints-Apôtres, is a former Benedictine institution founded in Metz in the sixth century. His name pays tribute to Arnoul (or Arnulf), bishop of Metz in the seventh century, whose relics were deposited there in 641. Although the legend associates it with a foundation in the second century by Bishop Patient, no historical evidence confirms this origin until the sixth century. Originally located outside the ramparts, near the Roman way to Toul, it became under Charlemagne a family necropolis, sheltering the tombs of Hildegarde, Louis le Pieux and other members of the Carolingian dynasty.

The abbey experienced several destructions and reconstructions, especially in the 9th and 10th centuries, possibly caused by the Normans or Hungarians. In 942, Bishop Adalberon I established the Benedictine rule there by replacing the canons with monks of Gorze. In the 11th century, under the impulse of Guillaume de Volpiano, the abbey was reformed and enlarged, before being destroyed during the siege of Metz by Charles Quint in 1552. The imperial relics and tombs were then transferred to the convent of the Preachers, inside the ramparts.

After the Revolution, the abbey was confiscated as a national property, and its buildings were reassigned to military use, successively becoming an artillery school, a German war school (Kriegsschule), and then the circle of officers of Metz. Today, some of the remains, including the cloister and architectural elements, remain on Rue Aux-Ours. A 16th century polychrome pietà, rediscovered in 1990, bears witness to its rich artistic heritage.

The abbey played a local economic role in owning lands and villages in the Messin Country, such as Vigy, Cheminot or Rémilly, donated by Arnoul and Carolingians. Its decline began with the wars of the sixteenth century, but its heritage persisted through the preserved buildings and archaeological excavations.

His lost treasures include the Carolingian tombs, including that of Louis le Pieux, partially preserved at the Metz Museum. The mausoleum, commanded by Henry II in the 16th century, symbolized the filiation between the Valois and the Carolingians. The abbey was also a place of monastic reform, linked to Gorze and the congregation of Saint-Vanne.

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