The construction of Metz Cathedral began in 1220 and ended in 1552. However, additions and modifications altered its design until the beginning of the 20th century. Excavations in 1878 and 1914 allowed the discovery of its foundations located inside the floor of the nave and the transept. The astonishment was significant to note the perfect superposition between the current cathedral and the one built in 965 by Otto I. The cathedral's choir is, for example, directly lined up with the Roman crypt.