Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Basilica Saint-Epvre de Nancy, located in Place Saint-Epvre in the Old Town, is the third church built on this site since the foundation of the parish in 1080 by Duke Thierry II of Lorraine. Dedicated to Saint Evre (or Epvre), bishop of Toul whose relics are preserved there, it replaces a flamboyant Gothic building of the 15th century which also served as a guard tower. Its medieval bell tower, the highest point of the city, was incorporated for a time into the reconstruction project before being demolished in 1867.

The 19th century reconstruction was the subject of a controversial contest in 1862, officially won by Leopold Gigout, but whose project was rejected in favour of Prosper Morey, chosen by Baron Henri Buquet. Morey, accused of plagiarism by Gigout for his facade inspired by the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Bonsecours in Rouen, defended a neo-Gothic style "radiating" symbolizing the Latin Cross and the Trinity. The first stone was laid in 1864, and the building, financed by donations including those of Francis Joseph I of Austria and Napoleon III, was consecrated in 1871.

Raised to the rank of minor basilica by Pius IX in 1874, the church suffered damage during the First World War (bombings of 1914 destroying roof and stained glass windows). Its 82 windows, made by the Viennese workshop C. Geyling between 1867 and 1877, were partly restored by Jacques Gruber after 1918. The furniture, including a master altar carved by Théophile Klem and organs by Joseph Merklin (inaugrated by Anton Bruckner), reflects French, German and Austrian influences. Ranked a historic monument in 1999, the basilica remains a religious and architectural symbol of Lorraine.

Pre-construction excavations revealed Hebrew tombstones and busts of Adam and Eve, conferred on the Lorrain Museum. Prosper Morey directed the new building northward, broke with the east-west tradition, and incorporated liturgical symbols (arrow for papal authority, tower for spirituality). The basilica, entrusted to the Oratory of Saint Philippe Néri in 1996, welcomed in 2012 the marriage of Archduke Christophe de Habsburg-Lorraine, highlighting its links with the history of Lorraine and Imperial.

The polemics surrounding the 1862 competition opposed two local architectural societies, while archaeological discoveries and princely gifts (such as the green paving of Via Appia offered by Pius IX) enriched its heritage. Today, the basilica combines medieval heritage, neo-Gothic heritage and memories of modern conflicts, embodying the resilience of a place of worship in the heart of Nancy.

External links