Hôtel de Malte, a medieval residence on the Sainte-Croix hill
On the Sainte-Croix hill in Metz, this medieval residence on Rue des Murs belonged to the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from 1565 until the Revolution.
History
The order also owned the neighbouring Saint-Genest chapel over the same period.
Hospitallers rehoused after the citadel was built
The Knights of Saint John are recorded in Metz as early as 1196, first based at the Petit Saint-Jean hospital on Place de Chambre. Building the citadel from 1561 onwards cost them several properties. As compensation, on 1 May 1565 they received this house and the neighbouring chapel. It never served as a hospice, though: during the 18th century the commanders gradually lost interest and left it to a tenant farmer, still there in early 1790. Probably sold as national property, the house was bought in 1795 by a war commissioner, Nicolas Gentil.
Glassmakers, artists' evenings and the wounded of 1870
The 19th century gave the house an unexpected life. In 1838 a ten-year lease brought in the workshop of Louis-Napoléon Gugnon and his brother-in-law, the glassmaker Laurent-Charles Maréchal, who hosted the "Soirées de l'atelier de Maréchal" here. By about 1853 the workshop had moved to Rue de Paris. Shortly before 1870, the Vicomte du Coëtlosquet bought the building and gave it to Abbé Risse's charity, and during the siege of Metz a field hospital cared for wounded soldiers here. None of this can be read on the walls, but it explains why the address matters in local memory.
Saved from demolition, to be admired from outside
In 1970 a plan proposed razing the buildings to put up two apartment blocks; the municipal planning committee approved it, but it never went ahead. The buyers of 1976 began a restoration that uncovered a 14th-century timber frame, a beamed French-style ceiling and windows with trefoil tympana hidden under the render. Excavations in 1987 pointed to occupation of the site as early as the 1st century BC. Because the mansion is private property, the interior stays closed: you view it from Rue des Murs and, for the rear façades, from Rue d'Enfer.
Practical information
Address: 9 Rue des Murs, 57000 Metz
Frequently asked questions
Where is it?
On Rue des Murs, on the Sainte-Croix hill.
Is this monument protected?
Yes, it is registered as a historic monument.
Can you visit the Hôtel de Malte?
No, it is private property with no regular tours announced. From outside, you can look at its façades from Rue des Murs and Rue d'Enfer, on the slope of the Sainte-Croix hill.
Where should you stay to explore the Sainte-Croix hill?
The centre around the cathedral works best if you want to do everything on foot. Outre-Seille is a good compromise between charm and price. Staylaro's guide « Se loger à Metz » helps you compare neighbourhoods and search for a place to stay.
Wikimedia Commons — Diligent
