Couvent des Trinitaires de Metz

A convent at the heart of the old town

Les Trinitaires nestles on rue des Trinitaires, on the Sainte-Croix hill, on the very spot where the Cour d'Or, palace of the Austrasian kings, once stood. In other words, you are treading the oldest ground in Metz. A stone's throw from Sainte-Ségolène church and the Cour d'Or museum, the site enjoys a preserved medieval setting of steep lanes and fine stonework. A curiosity: the name comes from the Trinitarian Order, whose convent actually stood some fifty metres away, around the now-vanished church of the Trinitaires.

From Carmelite cloister to cultural stage

The site has lived several religious lives: a Jesuit residence in the early 19th century, then a Carmelite monastery set up on the hill. After the Carmelites left for Plappeville, the convent became the property of the City of Metz, which made it available to social and cultural associations. In 1960 the former chapel was turned into a multipurpose hall for the neighbourhood, while the vaulted cellars beneath the pavilion became concert rooms. From a place of prayer and silence, Les Trinitaires gradually became a hub of collective life, paving the way for its present artistic calling.

The Metz temple of live music

It was in the mid-1960s that the place tipped into music. Driven by Pierre-Frédéric Klos at the end of the decade, the Trinitaires stage became a flagship address for jazz, but also rock, French chanson and theatre. Generations of Metz residents experienced their first concerts here, in the hushed acoustics of the cellar or the intimate mood of the chapel. Now part of the Cité musicale-Metz, the programming stays true to that pioneering spirit, mixing headliners and new talent in a warm atmosphere that is the whole charm of Les Trinitaires.

The cloister, an open-air stage

As soon as fine weather arrives, the Trinitaires cloister transforms into an open-air stage, keeping its green spaces amid the old stones. It is one of the unmissable dates of the Metz summer: you listen to a concert at dusk, drink in hand, framed by galleries and vaults. The site offers several complementary moods, from the chapel that can hold hundreds of spectators to the more intimate cellar, by way of a small theatre. This variety makes it a wonderful playground for artists and a convivial meeting place for every kind of audience.

Experiencing Les Trinitaires and staying in Metz

To enjoy Les Trinitaires, the best plan is to check the Cité musicale-Metz programme and book ahead, especially for the summer cloister concerts. The venue is easily reached on foot from the centre: you can combine a daytime stroll around the Sainte-Croix district with an evening concert. Staying in Metz in an apartment in the historic centre, a few streets away, lets you head home calmly after the show, with no transport worries. An ideal way to sample the city's cultural life while exploring, at your own pace, a town full of charm.

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