Metz - Cathedral of St Etienne 
The central feature of the picturesque old town of Metz with its narrow streets and lanes and old houses is the Place d'Armes, in which are the cathedral and the 18th century Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall).
The Cathedral of St-Etienne, a handsome Gothic building of yellow sandstone flanked by two slender towers, was built between 1250 and 1380 on a unified plan, incorporating the earlier church of Notre-Dame-la-Ronde; the choir dates from the early 16th C. The porch and the doorway into the south aisle under the Tour de Mutte (with the famous Mutte, a large bell dating from 1605) are modern.
The Cathedral of St-Etienne, a handsome Gothic building of yellow sandstone flanked by two slender towers, was built between 1250 and 1380 on a unified plan, incorporating the earlier church of Notre-Dame-la-Ronde; the choir dates from the early 16th C. The porch and the doorway into the south aisle under the Tour de Mutte (with the famous Mutte, a large bell dating from 1605) are modern.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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On the Place d'Armes front, set at an angle to the facade, is the Portail de la Vierge (C. 1240), with old reliefs in the porch, in the tympanum and on the left-hand lintel (procession of the Apostles); the reliefs on the right-hand lintel are copies, based on the damaged originals by the Master of Naumburg (now in the cathedral workshops).
Related Attractions
Metz Cathedral - Interior
The interior Metz Cathedral has an overwhelming effect, with its great height (42m/140ft) and width and its huge areas of beautiful stained glass (14th century in the rose window on the west front, 16th century in the choir and transepts). In the south aisle are the Chapelle Notre-Dame or du Mont-Carmel, once the choir of the older church of Notre-Dame-la-Ronde, and the Chapelle du St-Sacrement or des Evêques, with stained glass by Jacques Villon (1957). In the towers are abstract windows by R. Bissière (1959). In the aisles are the remains of wall-mounted tombs. In the north transept and the ambulatory (on left) are three windows by Marc Chagall (1960). In the choir (on left) is a marble bishop's throne of the Merovingian period. The church treasury contains some valuable items, but was originally much richer.
