Roman Rempart of Divodurum IIIe siècle (≈ 350)
Pass near the current square.
XIIIe siècle
City expansion
City expansion XIIIe siècle (≈ 1350)
New suburbs outside the ramparts.
XIVe siècle
A peak of Lombard changers
A peak of Lombard changers XIVe siècle (≈ 1450)
60 changers under the arcades.
1867
Louis IX Statue
Louis IX Statue 1867 (≈ 1867)
Work of Charles Peêtre.
1929
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 1929 (≈ 1929)
Protected facades and arcades.
2007
Pietonization and association
Pietonization and association 2007 (≈ 2007)
Rehabilitation and establishment of an association.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Louis IX (Saint Louis) - King of France
Name given instead.
Louis XIII - King of France
Statue confused with Saint Louis.
Charles Pêtre - Sculptor
Author of the 1867 statue.
Curé de Saint-Simplice - Local religious
Build the first statue.
Origin and history
Place Saint-Louis, located in Metz in the Moselle department, is an emblematic medieval vestige of the city. It extends at the foot of St. Croix Hill, where the main pedestrian streets of the hypercentre converge. Its houses, some decorated with Renaissance slots and balconies, house a gallery covered with sixty arcades, formerly dedicated to Lombard changers. As early as the 14th century, this place was Metz's largest shopping square, hosting famous fairs.
The origin of his name dates back to a historical confusion: a statue of Louis XIII, erected by the parish priest of the church Saint Simplicite (now destroyed), was taken as a representation of Saint Louis (Louis IX). This error gave its current name instead. In 1867, the sculptor Charles Pêtre installed a statue of Louis IX, thus consolidating popular tradition. The square, after serving as parking in the 20th century, was returned to pedestrians in 2007 and now hosts an annual Christmas market.
The houses of the square, typical of medieval Messina architecture, are distinguished by their low roofs in "diamond tip" and crenellated facades, inspired by Italian Gothic palaces. Their dropural walls, higher than the roofs, give a monumental appearance to the whole. The facades, redesigned in the 18th century, combine rectangular openings with trilobed tympanos, vestiges of their original state. A local anecdote tells that a hand engraved on a house commemorates the victory of a Messin gloveman against a German, symbolizing local resistance.
Ranked a historic monument in 1929 for its facades and arcades, Place Saint-Louis illustrates the commercial and architectural heritage of Metz. Its history, linked to the Roman ramparts of Divodurum and the medieval expansion of the city, makes it a place full of memory. Today, it embodies both an urban living space and a symbol of Lorraine's heritage, animated by a neighbourhood association created in 2007.
