the Church Saint-Maurice is a church located street of Paris, in the historical center of Lille.

History

Construction begins at the end of the 14th century and is completed at the end of the 19th century is more than four centuries. It is classified historic building since 1840.

Construction

The two last spans of the nave and the three central spans of the transept go back to the end of the 14th century.

The chorus, with collateral, Eastern side chapels (dedicated today to the Virgin and holy Joseph), déambulatoire and radiating chapels, was built of 1421 approximately with 1431.

The nave was increased towards the west and a tower was built during the 15th century. The tower, strongly dilapidated, will be destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century.

Towards 1500, the transept was lengthened to reach its current dimensions.

To the side chapels were added to the nave and the chorus (of 1539 with 1544 northern side, and of 1621 with 1660 at the latest southern part).

The vaults, envisaged right from the start, were assembled only between 1615 and 1623. At the same period, the nave was heightened with the height of the chorus and a small tower lantern out of wooden, source of light, was set up with transept crossing. This tower lantern was removed in 1805 and was replaced by the “umbrella”.

At the 19th century, Philippe Cannissié (1779 - 1877), architect of the city (1849 - 1867), directs the restoration until its death. The monument owes him its apparent homogeneity. It made build the sacristies, high in the east of the building between 1859 and 1863, and the three Western spans of the nave with the bell-tower (1867 - 1877).

Furniture

Many statues (1874 - 1875) due to Henri Biebuyck (1835 - 1907), Felix Huidiez (1841 - after 1906) and Jules Victor Heyde, sculptors inhabitant of Lille.

The church is stripped at the time of the revolution.

Part of its furniture is restored to him at the beginning of the 19th century. It then accommodates also many tables resulting from old convents of the city. Good number are the work of Jakob van Oost says the Young person (1639 - 1713), painter born with Bruges and established with Lille of 1668 with 1708 ( the Escape in Egypt 1697, Worship of the Shepherds between 1697 and 1699, the Marriage of the Virgin 1699, Presentation with the Temple 1700). Four tables representing of the scenes of Passion (1767 - 1768) are due to the painter inhabitant of Lille Louis Watteau known as of Lille (1731 - 1798).

At the time of the restoration directed by Philippe Cannissié, the church is equipped with furniture Néogothique of Charles Buisine-Rigot (1820 - 1893), the most important carpenter sculptor inhabitant of Lille of the time. It was also equipped with stained glasses carried out between 1859 and 1861 per Charles Gaudelet (1817 - 1880), celebrates painter and glass maker inhabitant of Lille, according to the paperboards of the painter inhabitant of Lille Victor Mottez (1809 - 1897), raises Dominique Ingres.

Three bombardments, in 1914, 1916 and 1942, required the renewal of several canopies, carried out by Pierre Turpin, painter and glass maker inhabitant of Lille. Lastly, in the years 1940 and 1950, senior A. Vandenabeele renewed part of furniture Néogothique (pulpit, retable of the Virgin, statues of saints).

Structure

The church nowadays presents

• long a Nef of seven Travée S with collateral doubles and turn in work
• a hardly projecting Transept of five spans
• a chorus of three spans with Chevet to five sides, collateral
• Four side Chapelle S
• a Déambulatoire integrating three radiating chapels.

It is about a church-market (hallekerk): the building comprises one level of rise and all the vessels are of the same width and of the same height.

The tower ends in an openwork arrow. The interior decoration blazing is sober: the principal interior supports are columns with capital X with two rows of curly kale sheets. The plan of the bedside is original: the déambulatoire is joined to the radiating chapels by the same vault, the wall of the bottom forming a kind of entirely openwork folding screen. This party takes as a starting point the old collegial the Saint-Pierre with Lille (destroyed with the Révolution). The fact of combining, at the end of the the Middle Ages, the economic structure of a church-market with a déambulatoire is extremely rare.

Gallery