Église Saint-Clément de Metz, Baroque church in Pontiffroy district, Metz, France
Église Saint-Clément de Metz is a baroque church featuring three equal naves crossed by ribbed vaults resting on composite capitals. Lateral buttresses support the structure and allow for tall windows that flood the interior with natural light.
The Benedictine abbey moved inside Metz's walls in 1565 after its original monastery at Sablon was destroyed in 1552, and rebuilding began in 1669. The Italian architect Giovanni Spinga, born in the diocese of Novara in 1641, started the church in 1680; the choir was vaulted and stalls installed by 1693. Bishop Henri-Charles de Coislin laid the facade's first stone in 1716, and Metz architects Louis and Barlet finished it in 1737.
The church maintains elements from both Gothic and Baroque architectural periods, with pointed arched windows featuring single mullions that provide natural illumination.
The church sits at the intersection of Rue des Benedictins and Rue Chambiere and is accessible via Metz public transportation. The Pontiffroy district location makes it easy to explore on foot and visit nearby historic sites.
Dates are cut into the stone: 1684 at the base of the second column on the left, 1685 at the top of the flying buttress of the nave's second bay. The choir received its stalls in 1693, when only the first four bays of the nave were vaulted. The composite capitals carry acanthus leaves and carved abbot's croziers.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,064 contributors worldwide.
