Jaumont stone, the sun of Metz

The theme of the 2025 European Heritage Days is "Architectural Heritage". It therefore seemed obvious to offer the public an exhibition highlighting a selection of Messinian architecture from all periods and styles, so very diverse, but with one thing in common: Jaumont stone or "pierre de soleil". Such a selection was no easy task. Some "must-sees" are present, others are not. They have been joined by a number of buildings in front of which the resident or visitor spends little or no time, illustrating the diversity of Metz's architecture. This material was also widely used by sculptors. Some archaeological pieces kindly lent by the Musée de la Cour d'Or - Eurométropole de Metz attest to this. The aim here is not to be exhaustive, which would hardly be possible given the infinite number of architectures worthy of interest that can be seen in Metz. Rather, the aim of this presentation is to highlight the richness and quality of some of our monuments, a quality that owes much to the materials used in their construction. You'll discover or rediscover this material in the sections of this exhibition that pay tribute to it.