Square du Béguinage

Journey back to 1234. Imagine the Square du Béguinage in its infancy. Countess Jeanne of Flanders and her sister, Marguerite, founded this sanctuary for fourteen women of modest means. Square du Béguinage wasn’t always a square. It began as a cluster of sixteen small houses, a chapel, and a garden nestled between the Rue du Metz, Saint Sébastien, and Princesse. These women, supported by grants and donations, dedicated their lives to prayer and charitable works at Square du Béguinage. They lived a communal life, though not bound by religious vows like nuns. A mistress governed their days. They attended services in memory of benefactors, worked for their upkeep, and enjoyed individual lodgings within the enclosed domain of Square du Béguinage. They could leave, but a curfew dictated their return. By 1401, the Square du Béguinage’s purpose shifted. Philippe le Hardi’s decree mandated a twelve livres parisis fee for entry, effectively barring the truly impoverished whom the founders intended to shelter. The French Revolution brought further change to Square du Béguinage. The Béguines, not being nuns, remained, though their income streams dried up. The square became a haven for the poor, sick, infirm, widows, and unprotected young women. The chapel closed, its treasures confiscated. In 1796, Square du Béguinage officially transformed into a hospital under the Hospices Civils de Lille. In 1841, Louis Philippe decreed the Béguinage’s dissolution “by extinction,” meaning no replacements for deceased Béguines. By 1855, only four remained when the Hospices received a lucrative offer. The land was to become an alcohol warehouse. Three Béguines moved to Hospice Gantois. The fourth negotiated a private city residence and a higher pension. Square du Béguinage, burdened by costs, was demolished in 1855. Its legacy vanished brick by brick, though echoes remain in the heart of Lille.