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Origin and history

The prioral church of Varangéville came into being in the 8th century, when the bishop of Metz Antilran in 770 offered a vast estate to Gorze Abbey, including a seigneury named Chaumont. This gift allowed the foundation of a Benedictine priory, mentioned for the first time in 849 under the name of cellula de Varangéville. The monks of Gorze, spiritual and temporal lords, exercised extensive power there, appointing mayors and judicial officers, and controlling fiscal and seigneurial rights over Varangéville and its surroundings, including Saint-Nicolas-de-Port.

In the 12th century, the priory experienced a significant increase, marked by the construction of the present church, although the late Gothic building visible today dates mainly from the 16th century, under the Priorate of John of Lorraine (1508-1545). The church, classified as a Historical Monument in 1907, is distinguished by its architecture in a hall church, where the lower side reaches the height of the nave, and an exceptional furniture: a Tomb of the sixteenth century with ten characters, a nursing Virgin of the fourteenth (typical of Lorraine), and statues like that of Saint Urbain. The priory, secularized in 1572, was united with the primatia of Nancy in 1603, transferring his privileges to the canonial chapter.

The site was also marked by conflicts and revolts, such as that of the inhabitants of Varangéville against the bishop of Toul in 1057, or the looting of the Basard de Bourbon in 1439. In the 15th century, René II of Lorraine reviewed his troops before the battle against Charles the Temerary (1477). The priory gradually declined, especially after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), where Varangéville, ravaged by soldiers' housing, saw his population flee. In 1755, the priory was finally reunited at the primatia of Nancy, ending his autonomy.

The church preserves traces of its medieval past, such as the portal of the early church (XII century), classified in 1987, and remains of the convent of the Capuchins (17th century), founded by Éric de Lorraine-Chaligny. He and his nephew François de Lorraine were initially buried there before the transfer of their remains to Nancy. The site also houses a Merovingian necropolis (VI-VIII century), which was excavated in 1943, revealing 34 potentially military graves.

In the 19th century, industrialisation marked Varangéville with the exploitation of the gem salt mine (from 1855), the last underground mine in France still in operation. The church, on the other hand, became annex to the parish of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port in 1802, after having been priorial and parish. Its movable heritage, including an organ of 1904 and classified glass windows, bears witness to its historical importance in the region, between monastic heritage and Lorrain community life.

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