19. Metz Cathedral, Metz - 13 Sept 1900 | Glass Plates
Glass plate 19 captures the southern façade of the Cathedral of Saint Stephen, Metz. Construction for the cathedral took three centuries, from its first stones laid in the 1220s to its consecration in 1552.
In the foreground of the photo are a scattered group of five people; this includes a woman carry a basket, a bicyclist, and a man standing next to a handcart.
The tower dominating the image is called La Mutte after the bell contained within. At 90m at its highest point, this belltower is the tallest structure in the city and for much of its history served a practical as well as religious purpose; the bell being struck whenever the watchmen spotted fire or approaching enemies.
Border Troubles
Is Metz in Germany or France? Historically, it depends on when you’re asking.
Throughout the centuries it has been the capital of the Frankish Kingdom of Austrasia, part of the Carolingian Empire, and then the Holy Roman Empire; it was captured by King Charles VII of France in the sixteenth century, then ceded to the German Empire following the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871; less than half a century later, following the First World War, it became part of the French Third Republic, only to be annexed by the Third Reich in 1940; most recently, since being recaptured in 1944, it has settled back into being a French city.
These historic flames of border conflict have singed the Cathedral itself; the roof having burned 1877 due to a few errant fireworks set off to honour of the military prowess of the King of Prussian and German Emperor, Wilhelm I. Despite this carelessness, Wilhelm I took great interest in renovating the cathedral as a way of winning the favour of this culturally divided city.
On the French side of things, they too knew the symbolic power of the Cathedral, and rang La Mutte, the great bell in the pictured belltower, in celebration of its return to French control in 1918.
Paradeplatz/Place d'Armes
Known today as the Place d’Armes, the square beside the cathedral was known in 1900 by its German name of Paradeplatz. In this square today is a monument to the French liberation and to commemorate the citizens of Metz who died in the Second World War. What is missing, however, are the three statues you see at the base of the cathedral in the photo. Unfortunately, I do not yet have an answer to this, but I suspect that these suffered the same fate as the subject of our next glass plate.
Such dramatic occurrences cannot help but scar a city, and, as an examination of glass plate 20 will demonstrate, public symbols are vital to shaping the cultural landscape in any territorial tug-of-war…
References
Guernier, Pierre, ‘Discover Metz Cathedral, the Lantern of God’, French Moments <https://frenchmoments.eu/metz-cathedral/>
1900 Glass Plates: This project explores a series of glass plates from the year 1900 with the eventual goal of travelling the same route as the photographer. It will be a varied journey that will stretch from simple blog posts examining each photo to videos and more. This project is in collaboration with photographer Aleksandar Nenad Zecevic, who’ll be restoring the photographs to bring out details dimmed by time. More to follow.
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