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Origin and history

The church of Saint-Sébastien found its origins in the creation of the City of Nancy in the late 16th century under Duke Charles III of Lorraine. In 1593, the parish was erected with St Sebastian as patron, but the construction of a sanctuary was delayed by wars and lack of funds. A primitive chapel, dedicated to St.Sebastien to prevent plague outbreaks, was finally built in 1603. A first tower was added in 1682, but the church, poorly maintained, was partially demolished in 1719 to give way to a new building.

The 18th century reconstruction was entrusted to architect Jean-Nicolas Jennesson, who designed a rectangular hall church, integrating the existing tower and adding a second for symmetry. The first stone was laid in 1720, and the church, characterized by its baroque façade decorated with bas-reliefs and statues, was blessed in 1731 and consecrated in 1732. Stanislas Leszczynski, Duke of Lorraine, contributed to its opening up by having the former adjacent town hall shaved in 1751, highlighting its place on the market.

The interior, structured in nave and low side of the same height, is illuminated by wide bays and decorated with gypsums representing the martyrdom of St Sebastian. The darker choir houses major works such as the tomb of the painter Jean Girardet (rebuilt in 1801) and a Dalstein-Haerpfer organ of 1879, a masterpiece of Lorraine bill. The church, desecrated during the Revolution and transformed into a asylum and then into a storehouse, was restored to worship in 1801 and enriched in the 19th century with furniture from other suppressed religious buildings.

Ranked a Historical Monument in 1921, the church was in crisis in the 1970s when its neighbourhood was razed for a shopping centre, requiring major consolidation work. Since 1998, she has been entrusted to the Jesuit community and integrated into the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle. Its facade, restored in 1998, and its exceptional organ make it a major cultural and spiritual place of Nancy, open to visitors and the faithful.

The four bells, three of them with their original wooden sheep, come from the German foundry of Maria Laach. Their system of ringing, electrified but preserving old elements, rhythms parish life. The church also houses remarkable statues, such as that of Saint Joseph to the Child Jesus of Adam, saved from the destruction of the Carmelite chapel in the 19th century.

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