Place Jeanne d'Arc

On the edge of ancient Metz

The square lies on the Sainte-Croix hill, one of the city's oldest nuclei, in the Ancienne Ville district. Its former name, Place des Quatre-Maisons, hints at the modest origins of this crossroads of narrow streets. Only in the early 20th century did it take its present shape, cleared to showcase the neighbouring church's new façade. The result is a human-scaled little square, cobbled and lined with old houses, where the medieval fabric of old Metz can still be felt.

Sainte-Ségolène church

The square is dominated by Sainte-Ségolène church, founded on a site occupied since the 9th century and rebuilt in Gothic style around 1230-1240. Its present outline owes much to late-19th-century remodelling: between 1896 and 1898, architect Conrad Wahn replaced the old portal and belfry with a richly worked neo-Gothic façade crowned by two rigorously symmetrical twin spires. It is these twin spires, visible from afar, that justified opening up the square in 1905 to give them the necessary perspective.

Les Trinitaires and the Jeanne legend

Onto the square also opens the former Trinitarian convent, Les Trinitaires, whose vaulted cellars and courtyard now host concerts and shows, making the site a lively hub of the Metz cultural scene. As for the square's name, it recalls a persistent legend: Jeanne d'Arc is said to have escaped the Rouen pyre to end her days in Metz beside Robert des Armoises. History keeps no proof of this, but it adds to the enigmatic charm of this corner of the city.

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