Metz Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Stephen, Metz Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Catholic Church |
District | Diocese of Metz |
Rite | Roman |
Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
Leadership | Pierre Raffin |
Year consecrated | 11 April 1552 |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | Metz, France |
Geographic coordinates | 49°07′12″N 6°10′31″E / 49.12°N 6.1754°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Church |
Style | French Gothic; Gothic Revival |
Groundbreaking | 1220 |
Completed | 1550 |
Specifications | |
Direction of façade | West |
Length | 136 metres (446 ft) |
Height (max) | 88 metres (289 ft) (Mutte tower) |
Materials | Jaumont Stone |
Official name: Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz | |
Designated | 1930 |
Reference no. | PA00106817[1] |
Denomination | Église |
Website | |
www.cathedrale-metz.fr |
Metz Cathedral is the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Metz,[2] the seat of the bishops of Metz.[3] It is dedicated to Saint Stephen. The diocese dates back at least to the 4th century and the present cathedral building was begun in the early 14th century. In the mid-14th century, it was joined to the collegiate church of Notre-Dame, and given a new transept and late Gothic chevet, finished between 1486 and 1520.[4] The cathedral treasury displays a rich collection assembled over the long centuries of the history of the Metz diocese and include sacred vestments and items used for the Eucharist.[2][5][6]
Metz Cathedral has the third-highest nave of cathedrals in France (41.41 meters (135.9 ft)), after the cathedrals of Amiens and Beauvais . It is nicknamed la Lanterne du Bon Dieu ("the Good Lord's lantern"), on account of its displaying the largest expanse of stained glass in the world, totalling 6,496 m2 (69,920 sq ft).[7] The stained glass windows include works by Gothic and Renaissance master glass makers Hermann von Münster, Theobald of Lixheim, and Valentin Bousch. Later artistic styles are represented by Charles-Laurent Maréchal (Romanticism), Roger Bissière (Tachism), Jacques Villon (Cubism), Marc Chagall, and Kimsooja.[7]