The village of Ville-Issey stretches peacefully along the Meuse, four kilometers upstream of Commercy. Its St. Peter's church occupies the site of an ancient castle and a Templar chapel linked to a commandory of the Order of the Temple, founded in 1129. The knight monks prayed there, celebrated the services and were buried there. Later, the Cardinal of Retz, Jean François Paul de Gondi, who had seigneurial rights in Lorraine, had the mansion of Ville-Issey rebuilt.
The church bears witness to an architectural evolution from the 16th to the 18th century. His choir dates from the 16th century, while the nave was built in 1741 by Nicolas Pierson, conversing monk of the Premontrés. In 1777, Baron Nicolas Jadot, architect of the courtyard of Lorraine, built the bell tower in a Tuscan style rare in the area, with a lantern bulb and foothills adorned with bosses and d'urnes. The church, 35 metres long, illustrates the Italian influence introduced in Lorraine during the reign of Duke Francis III.
Since 1997, it has been a major witness to the transition between medieval and Baroque architecture, as has the wall of the ancient cemetery also protected.
Attached to the diocese of Verdun, the church belongs to the parish of Blessed Charles of Foucauld of the Land of Commercy. The celebrations are occasional, especially for the feast of Saint Peter, baptisms, weddings or funeral. France Terre de Clochers supported the structural strengthening project.
