Temple de Garnison, Lutheran church in Metz, France.
The Temple de Garnison is a Gothic Revival church tower of light tan Jaumont stone on the Square du Luxembourg in Metz. Its square shaft rises to a slender spire with corner pinnacles; the front face carries a pointed doorway, a rose window, a louvered arched opening and a round clock, with a small conical-roofed turret adjoining on the right. The nave was destroyed in 1952, leaving the 97-metre bell tower.
The building was constructed between 1875 and 1881 when the region was under German administration and new infrastructure was being developed. It was designed and built from the start as a military chapel for soldiers.
The name refers to its original purpose as a place of worship for soldiers stationed in the city. Its role as a gathering space for a specific community shaped how people used and experienced the building over time.
The tower stands on Square du Luxembourg, formerly Place du Saulcy and Weidenplatz, on the large Mosel island, near rue Belle-Isle. The nave and choir were demolished in 1952 and their site was later built over by extensions of the Hôpital Belle Isle, so only the 97-metre bell tower remains. The tower is a listed monument and is sometimes open to free climbers.
In 1902 Albert Schweitzer, later a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, gave an organ concert in the church. The tower's finial held two parchment documents in soldered copper capsules from 1875, found by restorers in 1988. Today the 97-metre tower is open to free climbers on certain days.
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