Imagine Lille without the Palais de Justice. That grand building stands here because of a church. This was the site of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre. For almost 750 years it shaped Lille’s religious life.
The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre was a significant religious site. Its story is one of faith destruction and partial survival. Today only the crypt remains. It reminds us of the church’s rich history.
Let’s journey back to 1066. Count Baldwin V of Flanders granted land to the church. This act established a chapter of canons. Baldwin V was later buried in the church choir. He was the most powerful Count of Flanders. Jean de Warneton then became one of the church’s canons.
In 1088 Bishop Radbod donated the church and land of Gits. This donation was the first of many. The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre became a powerful landowner. For a long time the body of Saint Hubert de Seclin rested here. The original church was Romanesque. Tournai stone was used extensively in its construction.
During the 13th century the church acquired the statue of Notre Dame de la Treille. It depicted the Virgin Mary. The statue had a marble head. Its body and Infant Jesus were made of polychrome white stone. In 1304 Lille was sacked. Philip the Fair’s army burned the Collegiate Church. Only the statue’s head survived.
Like the parish of Saint-Étienne Saint-Pierre’s parish was reduced. This allowed for the creation of new parishes. These were Sainte-Catherine Saint-André and La Madeleine. Schoolmasters taught in the collegiate school. The canons retained a monopoly of Latin teaching for a long time.
In 1405 Countess Marguerite III of Flanders was buried here. Philip the Good rebuilt the church. He restored the statue. In 1425 he founded a master’s degree. This developed the church’s polyphonic musical life. In 1462 the Hospice Gantois was attached to the Collegiate Church.
The church gained prestige. It attracted devotions such as Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs. The Dominican Michel François de Templemars addressed this in 1495. Philippe Le Bon contributed to its expansion. He had a wooden statue carved. It was placed near Notre-Dame de la Treille around 1450.
Popes Alexander III and Clement IX approved a specific office for Lille’s churches. In 1634 Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille was named the city’s patron saint. During the War of Devolution King Louis XIV swore an oath here. He reassured locals of their privileges. He finalized the statue adding two legs.
The parish of Saint-Pierre was abolished in 1791. The church was sold as national property in 1792. It was then destroyed.
In the 13th century the Romanesque church was transformed into a Gothic church. Its clerks took inspiration from Soissons Cathedral. In 1635 the canons erected the seven painful stations of the Virgin.
The remains of the Romanesque crypt are listed as historic monuments. They can be accessed from the rue du Palais de Justice. Two arches remain in a private garden on the Place du Concert. The cellar is intact under a private mansion.
Most paintings were acquired during the 16th century. Some furnishings are preserved in Lille’s museums. These include paintings by Charles de la Fosse and Arnould de Vuez.
Count Baldwin V of Flanders was buried here in 1067. His tomb was restored after a fire in 1334. His body was found during excavations in the 21st century. Louis II of Flanders was also buried here alongside his wife.
Today the courthouse stands here. Rue Alphonse Colas opened in 1821. The Place du Concert occupies the site of the canons’ cloister. Though much is gone the spirit of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre remains. It is woven into Lille’s history.