About the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation and Saint Sigisbert:
The Cathedral was erected in the 18th century and is the seat of the Bishop of Nancy. One of its main attractions is the famous organ in the church, but it is also of interest because it houses the remains of a Saint and a Blessed.
King Sigebert III of Austrasia is buried here. It was a popular pilgrimage site after he became declared a saint.
Another famous person buried here is Blessed Alix Le Clerc, Born to wealth, she later became known as Mother Alix and used her talents and in 1597, along with St Peter Fourier founded the Canonesses of Saint Augustine, whose objective was to provide education to girls, especially those living in poverty. They opened Schools of Our Lady throughout Europe, and later throughout the world.
Upon her death, she was buried in the convent cemetery in a lead coffin, but site of the grave was lost when the convent was destroyed during the French Revolution. It was not re-discovered until 1950, when the coffin was enshrined in the Notre Dame School here in Nancy and then finally moved to a chapel in the Cathedral in 2007.
She was beatified in 1947. Her Feast day is January 9.
Traveling the the Cathedral in Nancy:
There is no airport here, the nearest one is in Metz, and service is not direct, so train is your best option from many cities in France, including TGV trains (now re-branded as “InOui”) from Paris Gare de l’Est Station that make the trip in under two hours, so you could actually make it a day trip from Paris if that is the nearest you will be. There is also bus service to Nancy as well, taking about four hours.
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