Where is Rue Darwin you ask? It’s a street in Lille France. Not a famous street mind you. But it’s close to the Université Catholique de Lille. A place steeped in history. A place with secrets.
Picture this. We’re standing near Rue Darwin. We are near the impressive buildings of the Catholic University of Lille. This university. It wasn’t always so grand. It started small. In 1875. Two brothers Philibert and Camille Feron Vrau had a dream. They wanted to build a university a cathedral and a church in Lille. They even got the Pope’s blessing.
The university first opened in 1877. It was modest. Classes were held in various locations around the old town. Even in the former Hotel de l’Intendance. The current site of the bishopric. But the university grew. It needed more space.
A Belgian architect Baron Bethune of Ydewalle drew up initial plans. They were too complex too expensive. So the project went to Louis Dutouquet. He built a simplified version. It was magnificent. This building is the Hotel Académique. It’s a stunning example of Gothic architecture.
Construction happened in stages. From 1879 to 1927. The Hotel Académique was completed in 1881. It housed the faculties of Letters Law and Theology. It even held a library with precious manuscripts. The library moved later. To the rue du Port.
The university expanded further. A chapel was built in 1924. The Chapelle Universitaire Saint-Joseph. It is also on the Vauban campus. It underwent renovations in 2021. It now shines in its past glory. New stained-glass windows depict the life of Christ. A new pipe organ was also installed. The old organ found a home in Nieppe.
Think of the students who walked these streets. The professors who taught here. The countless hours spent studying debating and dreaming. Rue Darwin. A quiet street. But a street with a rich history. A story whispered on the wind a story connected to the grand history of the Catholic University of Lille. A story we can still feel today.