Last Trip of 2012 - Inside Metz Cathedral

It already looked so beautiful at the outside, but as soon as Lars and I were inside the cathedral, we were simply blown away by its grandeur. This is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Saint-Stephen Cathedral is a Rayonnant Gothic edifice built with the local yellow Jaumont limestone. Like in French Gothic architecture, the building is compact, with slight projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. However, it displays singular, distinctive characteristics in both its ground plan and architecture compared to most of the other cathedrals. Because of topography of Moselle valley in Metz, the common west-east axis of the ground plan could not be applied and the church is oriented north-northeast. Moreover, unlike the French and German Gothic cathedrals having three portals surmounted by a rose window and two large towers, Saint-Stephen of Metz has a single porch at its western facade. One enters laterally in the edifice by another portal placed at the south-western side of the narthex, declining the usual alignment of the entrance with the choir.

The nave is supported by flying buttresses and culminates at 41.41 metres (135.9 ft) high, making one of the highest naves in the world. The height of the nave is contrasted by the relatively low height of the aisles with 14.3 metres (47 ft) high, reinforcing the sensation of tallness of the nave. This feature permitted the architects to create large, tall expanses of stained glass. Through its history, Saint-Stephen Cathedral was subjected to architectural and ornamental modifications with successive additions of Neoclassical and Neogothic elements.

Since Lars used to be a organ player in Denmark, the first thing he looks for in a church or a cathedral is the organ. We were a bit surprised to see that it wasn’t located at the back of the church, but rather next to the altar.

Anyway, we saw a lot of churches and cathedrals last year and this is one of the most beautiful ones! Our visit to Metz Cathedral was our last excursion of our first day in France. Afterwards, we went to the supermarket to buy some supplies for the days afterwards.

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