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Origin and history

The Saint-Genest Chapel of Metz, located on the slopes of St. Croix Hill, was originally a civil building, probably a Gothic or Romanesque mansion built in the 12th and 13th centuries. Equipped with a square dungeon tower, it was transformed into a chapel by the order of St John of Jerusalem in 1565, after being acquired by the neighboring commandory. This place of Catholic worship, dedicated to Saint Genest, a martyr actor in Rome, remained the property of the Order until the French Revolution.

Nearby, at the corner of the streets of Hell and Jurue, was the house where François Rabelais stayed between 1545 and 1547. The chapel, disused today, was inscribed in the historical monuments on December 9, 1930 for its porch, tower and entrance door, witness to its medieval and reborn past.

The building illustrates the architectural and religious evolution of Metz, marked by the reuse of a civil building as a place of worship. Its history is linked to that of the hospital commandery of St John of Jerusalem, whose influence extended into the region. Historical sources, such as the works of Ernest de Bouteiller (1856) and Amédée Boinet (1920), underline its heritage importance in the Messin landscape.

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