Abbey of Saint-Symphorien de Metz
| Abbey of Saint-Symphorien de Metz | |
|---|---|
 Artist's view of St Symphorien Abbey in Metz, from a map by Merian, Matthäus (1593-1650), published in 1638 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | desacralized and destroyed |
| District | Metz |
| Province | Moselle |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Location | |
| Country | France |
Saint-Symphorien Abbey is an abbey of the Order of Saint-Benedict founded by Saint Papoul,[1] bishop of Metz, in 609.[2] It was the first Benedictine abbey for men built in Austrasia.[3]
Symphorien[edit]
Symphorien was famous in the ancient Gallic liturgy. The transfer of some of his relics to Reims in 801 probably revived his cult in Metz.
Relics[edit]
Chrodegang's relics were transferred from Gorze Abbey to Saint-Symphorien Abbey when Gorze fell into disuse in the 14th century.
In the 10th century, Bishop Theuderic I of Metz donated the relics of Saint Goëri from Saint-Symphorien to the newly-built monastery at Épinal.
History of the abbey[edit]
The abbey stood outside the city's fortifications[4] near the Porte Serpenoise, on what is now Avenue Lattre de Tassigny and the Barbot barracks.[5]
It was destroyed by the barbarians. Bishop Adalbéron II (984-1005)[6] re-established it under the name of Saint-Symphorien, and appointed monks and an abbot.
On 12 September 1444, the armies of King René, Charles d'Anjou, Artus de Richemont, Constable of France, and Pierre de Brézé, Seneschal of Poitou, laid siege to Metz with 10,000 men. The magistrate of Metz, fearing that the abbey, close to the Serpenoise gate, would be an obstacle to the city's defense, had it burnt down in 1444.[1][7] The abbey's abbot, Poince de Champel, and his monks retired to a large house known as the Cour de Morimont, which belonged to the Morimond abbey.[8]
The foundation stone of the new Saint-Symphorien abbey church was laid on 10 May 1481, on the site of the grand maison de Morimont,[9] which was to stand where the citadel moats had been built, at the corner of the present-day Palais de Justice.
The abbey was again destroyed and finally established in 1564, near the church of Saint-Martin, in the Baudoche house,[1] on both sides of today's rue Maurice Barrès.[3]
The monks used the Moselle backwater as a fish reserve and the meadows on Saint-Symphorien Island as pastureland. An 18th-century document mentions that the center of Saint-Symphorien Island was owned by the abbey: the monks owned the center, the governor of the citadel owned the meadow facing Saulcy Island, and Mme de Courcelles owned the land bordering Montigny-les-Metz.[10]
After the French Revolution, the abbey disappeared and its possessions were dispersed.[10]
On the Monday before Ascension Day, for Rogations, a procession began at Saint-Symphorien, passed through the churches on the left bank of the Moselle and returned to the cathedral via Saint-Vincent church.[3]
Since 1960, there has been a new Saint-Symphorien church in Longeville-lès-Metz, in the middle of Saint-Symphorien Island.
Possessions[edit]
- La Madeleine monastery, downtown, abandoned in 1768.
- Vaux
- Angomont and the ban-le-moine (near Badonviller) bordering Saint-Sauveur abbey (Croix-Bagué boundary marker).
Bibliography[edit]
- Voltz, Eugène. "La dernière abbaye de Saint-Symphorien (1564-1768)". Mémoires de l'Académie nationale de Metz 1963-1964. pp. 139–169.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Richard, Charles Louis (1825). Bibliothèque sacrée, ou Dictionnaire universel historique, dogmatique, canonique, géographique et chronologique des sciences ecclésiastiques ... (in French). Méquignion fils ainé.
- ^ Tabouillot, Nicolas; François, Jean (1769). Histoire de Metz par des Religieux bénédictins de la congrégation de S. Vanne... (in French). P. Marchal.
- ^ a b c "modele". st.symphorien.metz.free.fr. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Gaillard, Michèle (1993). "Les abbayes du diocèse de Metz au IXe siècle. Décadence ou réforme". Revue d'histoire de l'Église de France. 79 (203): 261–274. doi:10.3406/rhef.1993.1115. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ "promenade temporelle". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Erlande-Brandenburg, Alain (1966). "L'abbaye de Saint-Symphorien à Metz". Bulletin Monumental. 124 (3): 294–296. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ François, Jean; Tabouillot, Nicolas (1775). Histoire de Metz (in French). Marchal.
- ^ Histoire de Metz. p. 648.
- ^ Histoire de Metz. p. 679.
- ^ a b "page vierge 1". st.symphorien.metz.free.fr. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
See also[edit]