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Origin and history

The Abbey of Saint-Rémy de Lunéville was founded in the 10th century by Count Folmar le Vieux († 995) at the same time as the city itself. Originally a man's monastery dedicated to Saint Remi, it was quickly transformed into an abbey of nuns by the sons of Folmar, who expanded possessions there, including the villages of Benaménil and Adomenil. An abbess even founded the first hospital in Lunéville. In the 12th century, the nuns gave way to regular canons of St Augustine, who came from the abbey of Belchamp, who took over the parish of St James of the city.

In the 17th century, in 1622, the abbey welcomed the first novitiate of the Congregation of Our Savior, founded by Saint Pierre Fourier, reformer of the Canons. Major reconstruction took place in the 18th century: from 1730 on, the abbey church and the palace were rebuilt in a classical Lorrain style, probably under the direction of Jean Nicolas Jadot or Jennesson. Stanislas, king of Poland and Duke of Lorraine, partially financed the works through his architect Emmanuel Héré and in 1745 imposed the attachment of the parish of Saint James to the abbey, threatened with ruin. The rococo towers, completed in 1747, reflect its central European influence.

The Revolution secularized the abbey: the convent buildings, partially destroyed to trace the Templar street, became the town hall in 1798, while the abbey house was assigned to the presbytery in 1802. In the 19th century, the town hall was enlarged symmetrically compared to the church, unifying the facades under a balustrade. Today, the former Abbatial house houses the Museum Space of the Abbatial Hotel, reconstitution of an 18th-century apartment, and the Church of Saint James, classified in 1926, has found its unique decorative organ. The site has been protected since 2006.

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