The Place Saint-Jacques (St. James's square) is situated in the centre of

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

in front of the ''centre Saint-Jacques'', a three-storey mall. It is located between rue Fabert and rue Ladoucette, in the heart of the historic and pedestrian centre, near the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

Names

The current name of the square appeared in the 12th century and derives from the Église Saint-Jacques (church of St. James) which was on the square before being demolished in 1574. The name of the square has changed several times over the course of history. Most recently, the name changed due to events surrounding the Franco-Prussian War,

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. *Place Saint-Jacques (1137 - 1609 - 1698) *Place Derrière-Saint-Sauveur (1698 - 1773) *Place de la République (1792) *Place d’Austerlitz (1806 - 1815) *Place Saint-Jacques (1816 - 1830) *Place d’Austerlitz (1831 - 1874) *Jakobplatz, in the

Imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

(1874 - 1918) *Place Saint-Jacques (1918 - 1940) *Jakobplatz, in

CdZ-Gebiet Lothringen The Civil Administration Area of Lorraine (CdZ=Chef der Zivilverwaltung) () was an administrative division of the Gau Westmark from 1940 to 1945. History After the outbreak of the Second World War and the defeat of France in 1940, the ''départe ...

(1940 - 1944) *Place Saint-Jacques (1944 – present)

History

Place Saint-Jacques is situated near the main crossroads of the Roman city (rue Taison and En Fournirue) and its location almost corresponds with the placement of the Roman Forum. A fountain was built in Place Saint-Jacques in 1498 but it was torn down in 1730; it was rebuilt in 1759 between rue Ladoucette and rue du Petit Paris. It was again destroyed in the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

and later relocated to rue du Pont-des-Morts. Beginning in 1832, a covered vegetable and flower market filled the square. Market contracts began and ended on December 26 of each year; on that day, people seeking employment gathered there. The building was demolished in 1907 due to unsanitary conditions. Today the square is known by Messins for its numerous coffeehouses and restaurants with outside tables for when the weather is fine.

Notre Dame de Metz (Our Lady of Metz)

During the German retreat at the end of World War I in 1918, Catholics in Metz feared that the city might become a second

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, so they asked Reverend Willibrord Benzler, Bishop of Metz from 1901 to 1919, to pledge to erect a statue to the Blessed Virgin so that the city would be spared from armed combat. The prelate accepted. However, he was expelled by the French authorities in July 1919 and died in Germany in 1921. The statue was inaugurated on the

Feast of the Assumption The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

in 1924. Place Saint-Jacques was chosen as the location for its centrality and its proximity to the cathedral. The sanctification was celebrated by Reverend Jean-Baptiste Pelt, the new Bishop of Metz, in the presence of Reverend Charles Ruch, Bishop of Strasbourg, and Reverend Alphonse-Gabriel Foucault, Bishop of Saint-Die, after an address by Reverend du Bois Jagu de la Villerabel, Archbishop of Rouen and Primate of Normandy. The bronze statue by Jacques Martin is tall and stands on an Ionic column of fine stone of Jaumont high, by Max Braemer. Again on 15 August 1940, in spite of the assembly ban imposed by the Nazis then occupying the city and the presence of many armed soldiers, nothing could prevent the citizens of Metz from showing their devotion to Our Lady of Metz and demonstrating their patriotic attachment to France. They gathered silently on the jam-packed square. The statue was surrounded by flowers in the three colors of France and a huge Cross of Lorraine embellished with thistles and a ribbon in yellow and red, the colours of Lorraine, was attached to the column on which the motto of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

could be read: ''Qui s'y frotte s'y pique'' (who rubs himself on it pricks himself on it), a reference to the cotton thistle, the symbol of Lorraine. Suddenly in the silent crowd a chant began: ''Reine de France – Priez pour nous – Notre espérance – Venez et sauvez-nous'' (Queen of France - Pray for us - Our hope - Come and save us), and was taken up immediately by all the faithful present. The chant was started by Sister Helen Studler, a Daughter of Charity, who had the courage to express her desire to see the tricolor flag of France waving again in Metz. The crowd then returned to the cathedral in silence and many spent the whole night in prayer.Historic information concerning Notre-Dame de Metz fro
The Bishopric of Metz
The tradition is honoured each year on August 15, the day of the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Tow ...

the Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...

. First of all, the

Pontifical Mass A Pontifical High Mass, also called Solemn Pontifical Mass, is a Solemn or High Mass celebrated by a bishop using certain prescribed ceremonies. Although in modern English the word "pontifical" is almost exclusively associated with the pope, an ...

is celebrated in the morning at the Cathedral of Saint Étienne. Then, after

vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meanin ...

is sung, the bishop conducts a procession from the cathedral to the historic column in the middle of Place Saint-Jacques.

References

Sources

* Michel Thiria, "La place Saint-Jacques", ''L’Austrasie'', 1909 * "La statue de Notre-Dame sur la place Saint-Jacques", ''La Voix lorraine'' 33, 15 August 1971, p. 6

External links

Autour de la place Saint-Jacques
Autour des Arènes de Metz Sablon {{Coord, 49.1185, 6.1760, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Metz, Saint-Jacques Metz