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Origin and history

The Basilica of Saint Vincent of Metz was built from 1248 on the initiative of Abbé Warin, as a Gothic abbey for Benedictine order. Consecrated in 1376 by Bishop Thierry V Bayer of Boppard, it embodies the prosperity of Metz in the Middle Ages, then free city of the Holy Empire. Its architecture, inspired by the cathedrals of Toul and Metz, is distinguished by a two tower bedside and slender stained glass windows, typical of the radiant Gothic.

In 1752, the collapse of the central tower after a fire led to the reconstruction of the facade in a neo-classical style, close to the Saint-Gervais church in Paris. The current bas-reliefs, representing Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia, date from 1900, when Metz was under German administration. The building, desecrated in 2012, was classified as a historical monument in 1930 and erected as a minor basilica in 1933.

Its history reflects the political and religious upheavals of Metz: temple of Reason during the Revolution, parish church in the 19th century, then disused in the 1980s. Today owned by the city, it is open to the public and bears witness to the stylistic transitions between medieval Gothic and neo-classicism, as well as the successive uses of a religious heritage in urban areas.

The basilica is the last medieval vestige of Saint Vincent Abbey, rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its plan is based on the cathedral of Metz, with a glass transept and side chapels. In 1356, Abbé Baudoche handed over a relic of Saint Lucia to Emperor Charles IV at the time of the publication of the Bull of Gold, highlighting his role in imperial ceremonies.

Recent work (for 30 years) has focused on the restoration of blankets, facade and bedside. Although disacralized, the basilica retains a major heritage value, illustrating the architectural and cultural evolution of Metz, from medieval times to contemporary times.

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