In the Middle Ages, any city of importance had to possess a Gothic cathedral. Metz Cathedral has the largest glazed area of any similar building in France (1.6 acres / 6,500 m²). Its light passes through the largest Gothic windows in Europe, of 502 sq yards each (420 m²). The Cathedral of Saint Stephen's nave stands at 135 ft (more than 41 m), and its 446 ft long (136 m), ranks it among the ten longest cathedrals in France.