The Basilica of Saint Maurice of Épinal is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

located in the French commune of

Épinal Épinal (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, so ...

. It is a religious building constructed, in its current state, between the 11th and 13th centuries. It is part of the Diocese of Saint-Dié.

History

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the lands were under the jurisdiction of the Lord of

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

; ecclesiastically, they were under the Diocese of Toul, part of the parish of Dogneville. The basilica is believed to stand on the site of the city's first church, built in the 10th century by Bishop Gerard of Toul at the request of Thierry de Hamelant, Bishop of Metz. The parish was formed from five manses taken from the parish of Dogneville: Spinal, Grennevo, Avrinsart, Villers, and Rualménil. Thierry de Hamelant, in founding the monastery, dedicated the church to Saint Maurice, serving both the city's population and the Benedictine monks. To complete the foundation, the two bishops relocated, with Thierry de Hamelant bringing the relics of Saint Goeric, an event purportedly accompanied by a miracle recorded by Widric. South of the nave was the cloister, while to the south of the choir, the first cemetery of Épinal was associated, located on the current Place de l'Âtre, as indicated by a crucifix affixed to the wall of the southern arm of the transept. The subsequent bishop, Adalbero II, finding the monastery deserted, decided to establish Benedictine nuns there under the patronage of Saint Goëry, one of his predecessors in the episcopal see of Metz.

Protection

The Saint-Maurice Church is classified as a

historical monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

under the 1846 list.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Portal, France Monuments historiques of Vosges (department) Épinal Basilica churches in France