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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, located at 59 rue de Ghent in Lille, is the former chapel of the Carmes undressed, founded in 1616 by Isabelle of Spain and Archduke Albert of Austria. This convent, established near the Gate of Ghent, was built in the context of Counter-Reform, with a church completed in 1623. Religious, living in extreme poverty, devoted themselves to preaching and conferences for the people. The site suffered several fires (1625, 1638 for the convent; 1645 for the church), requiring reconstructions, including that of the church between 1646 and 1669, consecrated in 1676 by the bishop of Tournai.

During the French Revolution, the religious were expelled, and the convent was transformed into a military reserve, while the church served as a stable. The confiscated property was centralized among the Recollets. In 1854, Natalie Doignies obtained from Napoleon III the transfer of the estate to the sisters of the Daughters of the Child Jesus, who re-built the church (stalls, stands) and made it their mother house until the 20th century. The building, restored between 1963 and 1968, became a parish church in 1991 under the name of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, before being converted in the early 2000s to a permanent exhibition, the City of the Gospel.

The church architecture, sober, is distinguished by its monumental altarpiece inspired by a work by Jacques Van Oost le Jeune, visible in Saint-André. The ionic capitals of the nave carry cartridges with Carmel's weapons and holy figures (Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Thérèse). Under the chapel there are still 240 monks. Ranked a historic monument in 1934, it now embodies a religious, military and cultural heritage, reflecting the upheavals of Lille since the 17th century.

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