Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Recollets de Metz cloister is a former medieval convent located in the Old Town district. Originally founded by Cordeliers monks in 1230 on Sainte-Croix hill, it was occupied from 1602 by Recollets until the Revolution. The current buildings, built in the 13th and 14th centuries, preserve a capitular hall, a central garden with wells, and Gothic wooden galleries, characteristic of Messina civil architecture. Elements such as a girder, tombstones and decorated columns, probably from the old chapel, remain in the gardens.

In 1330-1340, a wall painting depicting the Annunciation was discovered in a niche of the western wall, later enlarged to house the fire of Jean Braidy (died 1373). In the 17th century, the building was partially renovated with reused materials, and a classic door, preserved after the works of the 1960s, bears witness to this period. The church of the convent and a gallery were destroyed in 1804, after the Rhine army was installed in 1791.

In the 19th century, the premises housed an orphanage. Since 1972, the cloister has been home to the European Institute of Ecology, founded by Jean-Marie Pelt, as well as the municipal archives of Metz. The facades, roofs and galleries have been classified as historical monuments since March 23, 1972, thus preserving this medieval and classical heritage.

Future

The current buildings host the European Ecological Institute of Jean-Marie Pelt and the municipal archives.

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