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KNIGHTS TEMPLAR CHAPEL – METZ
Romanesque-Gothic Remnant of the Templars in Lorraine

Templar Chapel in Metz photoMetz, in the northeast corner of France was one of the great cities of the late Roman Empire and Middle Ages. The footprint of the Romans can be found in the aqueduct outside the city, called Divodurum under the Roman, in the underground vaults at the L'Cour d'Or history museum (see Golden Court Museum), and the 4th Century St Pierre-aux-Nonains Church, the oldest in France, converted to Christianity from its earlier purpose as a Roman gymnasium. In the 9th Century, Metz was the capital of the Kingdom of Lotharingia, a domain under the German Holy Roman Emperors encompassing parts of modern Lorraine, parts of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Saarland and parts of the Rhineland of Germany, Alsace and even a bit of Switzerland.

Templar Chapel at Arsenal  Metz photoIn 1133, the Order of the Knights Templar came to Metz, then a center of medieval wealth, establishing a commandary fort near the Moselle River on the lands of the earlier Roman arsenal. There is not a lot of information about the Templars in Metz. Templar history in France are more associated with the Burgundy region around Troyes were they were first formed by Hugh of Payens and his eight fellow knights (see Hugues de Payns Museum Champagne), officially blessed by the Council of Troyes in 1128, and patronized by the sainted cleric Bernard of Clairvaux (see St Bernard Chatillon ), the Languedoc region in the south where the Templars were strongest at the later stages, and Paris where the last Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake in 1314.

Fresco Templar Chapel photoIt is believed the Temple Chapel in Metz, rare in Lorraine for it octagonal design, was built about 1180 with additional reconstruction work in 1220, and the surrounding Templar structures destroyed following the dissolution of the order following the Friday 13th arrest of Templars by the agents of King Phillip IV in 1307. The small and relatively simple building is an elegant masterpiece of medieval architecture, one of the few remaining rotunda forms popular with the Templers. The external thick walls and narrow windows reflect the original Romanesque period construction while the interior high arched gothic ribbed roof with ceiling and wall frescoes are from the 13th Century additions, though much of the paintings seen are from a 1905 restoration.

Templar Cross Metz photoAmong the medieval images is a representation of St Catherine of Alexandria (Catherine of the Wheel from the story of her martyrdom). The Greek born St Catherine, who was one of the saints whom Joan of Arc claimed advised her, is sometimes associated with the Templars, though the association may actually be more with the gnostic Cathars and the pagan version of the goddess of the Fiery Wheel, a symbol of feminine strength and the cult of Catharine carried back from Jerusalem by the crusaders. The Templar connection to the Cathars and the inquisition may be part of the source of some of the charges of heresy which were brought against the order. Above the lentil of the single door can clearly be seen the Templar cross emblem, (cross pattée) though warn and decayed with the centuries. It is believed that the chapel in Metz was modeled after an earlier one at Laon in Picardy, France.

Visiting the Templar Chapel of Metz

The Templar Chapel (Chapelle des Templiers de Metz) is located just off the Esplanade, the promenade park of Metz next to the city hall, behind the Citadelle Hotel and next to the St Pierre-aux-Nonains Church. There is no charge for entry, when it is open on an irregular schedule. The chapel is now used as an exhibition space. © Bargain Travel Europe

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See Also:

POMPIDOU CENTRE ART MUSEUM - METZ

ST STEPHEN CATHEDRAL METZ

CASTLE OF THE DUKES OF LORRAINE

MALBROUCK CASTLE - MOSELLE

MAGINOT LINE FORTRESS SIMSERHOF

BITCHE CITADEL FORTRESS

LALIQUE FACTORY MUSEUM – ALSACE