Listen closely because I will tell you the story of a religious site. This is the story of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre. This once-grand church shaped Lille’s religious life for nearly 750 years.
The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre stood where the Palais de Justice is today. Imagine a large church here. It was the heart of Vieux-Lille for centuries. The church’s history goes back to 1066. Count Baldwin V of Flanders gave land to the church. This included part of a Carolingian castrum and revenues from a local church. He also created a chapter of canons. The church’s influence grew.
In 1088, Bishop Radbod donated a church in Gits. This was the first of many acquisitions. The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre became a major landowner. Saint Hubert de Seclin’s body rested here for a long time. The original church was Romanesque. It used Tournai stone in its construction.
The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre acquired the statue of Notre Dame de la Treille in the 13th century. This statue depicted the Virgin Mary. It had a marble head. The body and Infant Jesus were in polychrome white stone. Lille was sacked after the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle in 1304. Philip the Fair’s army burned the collegiate church. Only the head of the statue remained.
Like Saint-Étienne parish, Saint-Pierre parish was reduced. This allowed new parishes to be created. These were Sainte-Catherine, Saint-André, and La Madeleine. Schoolmasters taught in the collegiate school. Canons retained a monopoly on Latin teaching in Lille for a long time.
Philip the Good rebuilt the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre in 1405. He restored the statue. He founded a master’s degree in 1425. This boosted the church’s musical life. In 1462, the Hospice Gantois was attached to the collegiate church.
The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre gained prestige. It attracted devotions. One was Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs. This was addressed by Michel François de Templemars in 1495. Philippe Le Bon contributed to its expansion. He had a wooden statue of Notre-Dame des sept douleurs carved. It was placed near Notre-Dame de la Treille around 1450.
Devotion to Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs grew. Popes Alexander III and Clement IX allowed a specific office for Lille churches. In 1634, Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille was named the city’s patron saint. King Louis XIV took Lille in 1667. He swore an oath before Notre-Dame de la Treille. He added two complete legs to the statue.
The parish of Saint-Pierre was abolished in 1791. The collegiate church was sold as national property in 1792. It was then destroyed.
In the 13th century, the Romanesque church became Gothic. It was larger. Clerks drew inspiration from Soissons Cathedral. This showed the church’s increased power. The collegiate church gained a Gothic vault in 1504. It acquired a rood screen in the 16th century. In 1635, canons erected the seven painful stations of the Virgin.
Today, only vestiges remain. The Romanesque crypt is listed as a historic monument. You can access it from Rue du Palais de Justice. Two arches from the cloister survive in a private garden on Place du Concert. The cellar is intact under a private mansion there.
Many paintings from the 16th century adorned the church. Some furnishings are now in Lille museums or other churches.
Count Baldwin V of Flanders was buried in the choir. His tomb was restored after a fire in 1334. Louis II of Flanders was also buried here. His tomb was moved to Lille’s old town hall after the French Revolution.
The courthouse was built on the collegiate church’s site in the early 1830s. Rue Alphonse Colas opened in 1821. Place du Concert is on the site of the canons’ cloister. The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre is gone but its story remains. It is a vital part of Lille’s history. Its legacy echoes through the city.