Gorze Abbot's Palace

the small town of Gorze boasts a grand 17th century Abbot`s Palace. Its Baroque main building was built from 1696-1699 under the direction of Philipp Eberhard Count of Löwenstein who was abbot of Gorze at the time. In the 18th century, the palace was placed at the disposal of the Metz Parliament for the celebration of lavish festivities, before it was sold, in 1792, as a national asset. In 1811, the building was bought by the Moselle Department, which undertook extensive structural alteration and extension works, to establish the community almshouse in the former abbot`s palace. From 1813 to 1816, it served as military hospice. For the next 12 years, it housed the cavalry barracks and, in 1828, it was used as an annexe by the Saint-Nicolas Hospice of Metz. In 1886, it became the seat of the Order of the Merciful Sisters of Strasbourg (Filles de la Charité de Strasbourg).