Metz Cathedral

Metz Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Stephen, Metz Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz
Metz Cathedral from the south
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic Church
District	Diocese of Metz
Rite	Roman
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Leadership	Pierre Raffin
Year consecrated	11 April 1552
Status	Active
Location
Location	Metz, France
Geographic coordinates	49°07′12″N 6°10′31″E / 49.12°N 6.1754°E / 49.12; 6.1754
Architecture
Type	Church
Style	French Gothic; Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1220 (1220)
Completed	1550 (1550)
Specifications
Direction of façade	West
Length	136 metres (446 ft)
Height (max)	88 metres (289 ft) (Mutte tower)
Materials	Jaumont Stone
Monument historique
Official name: Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz
Designated	1930
Reference no.	PA00106817[1]
Denomination	Église
Website
www.cathedrale-metz.fr

Metz Cathedral is the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Metz,^[2] the seat of the bishops of Metz.^[3] It is dedicated to Saint Stephen. The diocese dates back at least to the 4th century and the present cathedral building was begun in the early 14th century. In the mid-14th century, it was joined to the collegiate church of Notre-Dame, and given a new transept and late Gothic chevet, finished between 1486 and 1520.^[4] The cathedral treasury displays a rich collection assembled over the long centuries of the history of the Metz diocese and include sacred vestments and items used for the Eucharist.^[2][5][6]

Metz Cathedral has the third-highest nave of cathedrals in France (41.41 meters (135.9 ft)), after the cathedrals of Amiens and Beauvais . It is nicknamed la Lanterne du Bon Dieu ("the Good Lord's lantern"), on account of its displaying the largest expanse of stained glass in the world, totalling 6,496 m² (69,920 sq ft).^[7] The stained glass windows include works by Gothic and Renaissance master glass makers Hermann von Münster, Theobald of Lixheim, and Valentin Bousch. Later artistic styles are represented by Charles-Laurent Maréchal (Romanticism), Roger Bissière (Tachism), Jacques Villon (Cubism), Marc Chagall, and Kimsooja.^[7]