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Origin and history

The St. Martin's church in Metz Centre is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the city. Its origin dates back to a Gallo-Roman shrine of the third century, built on the walls of Divodurum (the ancient name of Metz), at the edge of gardens and vineyards. This first building, whose exact date of construction remains unknown, gave its name to the parish of Saint-Martin-in-curtis, to distinguish it from the homonymous abbey of Mont Saint-Quentin.

The economic prosperity of Metz, a major merchant town in the Middle Ages, allowed for almost complete reconstruction of the church in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The present building incorporates Roman remains, visible on either side of the entrance gate, and was first cited in 1212 in an act by Emperor Frederick II, placing it under the patronage of the St. Nicholas Hospital. A campaign of transformations in the 15th to 16th centuries added the choir, sacristy and transept, while flamboyant stained-glass windows now adorned the interior.

The bell tower, originally razed in 1565 for military reasons during the construction of the citadel, was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style between 1883 and 1887. The project, entrusted to architect Conrad Wahn after heated discussions with the German imperial authorities, changed the visual balance of the church by amputating the south arm of the transept. The old stained glass windows, partially dispersed, were replaced by works by Laurent-Charles Marshal, student of Eugene Delacroix, while major restorations took place in 2012–2014.

Among the remarkable elements, the narthex of the 12th–13th century, with massive capitals reminiscent of Romanesque art, and the nave with slender columns of Champagne influence, contrast with the flamboyant choir of the 16th century. The organ, transferred in 1803 from Klausen Abbey and several times modified, as well as glass windows classified from the 15th to the 16th centuries (including a glass window of 1506 representing St Peter and St Nicholas), testify to the artistic richness of the place.

The church of Saint Martin, classified as a Historical Monument in 1925, remains a symbol of the Messin heritage, mixing Roman, medieval and modern strata. Its once green bell tower was restored in 2014 under the direction of Christophe Bottineau, chief architect of the Historic Monuments, thus preserving its central role in the urban and religious landscape of Metz.

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