Legend of the Graoully

Do you know why the street you’re walking up is called Taison Street, “taison” being “quiet” in french? Because people used to whisper: “let’s be quiet, let’s be quiet, the Graoully hovers over the city!” The Graoully, is the fearsome dragon you see suspended in the street! Although the legend was invented around the 8th century, the story itself is placed in the 3rd century, when Metz was still Roman and called Divodurum. According to the legend, a terrifying dragon, with a body covered in shiny scales that no weapon could pierce, sharp claws and immense wings, had taken up residence in the amphitheatre, which was already full of snakes. It roamed the skies of Metz, devouring its inhabitants at nightfall. The people were terrified. Its name, Graoully, comes from the German word “Gräulich,” which means monstrous. But one day, Saint Clement decided to tackle the problem head on and set off to confront the beast. He was one of the members of the church who had been sent by apostle Peter, who had become the bishop of Rome, to evangelize Gaul. He was supposed to convert the pagans of Metz to this brand-new religion called Catholicism in the 3rd century. And let me tell you, Saint Clement wasn’t just anybody. He had already performed numerous miracles. He dispersed a pack of wolves with a simple wave of his hand, and most importantly, he resurrected the daughter of King Orius, the governor of Metz, who then agreed to be baptized! He arrived in the lair of the Graoully in the amphitheater district,which is now the George Pompidou Center i, and captured it with his stole. Trapped, the animal was forced to follow Saint Clement, who went to drown it in the Seille River. While the dragon is legendary and symbolizes sin and paganism that were present in the region, Saint Clement was real and was later appointed Bishop of Metz. Whatever the case, since that day, the people of Metz have never seen the dragon again. Until the 19th century, an annual parade was organized to celebrate its disappearance. The bishop would leave the cathedral accompanied by the canons and an effigy of the Graoully, which would be paraded through the streets of the city center. If you keep your eyes open, you can see the Graoully several times in the city as well as on the emblems of several sports teams.