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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Our Lady of Roubaix, built between 1842 and 1844 by architect Achille Dewarlez, responded to the influx of faithful linked to the industrial expansion of the city, especially in the area of spinning. Consecrated in 1846, it could accommodate up to 3,000 people, becoming an independent parish in 1849. His neoclassical style, marked by a limestone facade and an unfinished bell tower, reflected the importance of the Catholic faith in a growing working population.

The church housed an exceptional organ, the work of Pierre-Alexandre Ducroquet (author of the one of Saint-Eustache in Paris), awarded at the Universal Exhibition of 1855. With 28 registers, it was restored in 1876 before being dismantled in 1996. The stained glass windows, signed by Claudius Lavergne and Girodon, as well as liturgical objects (ostensor, chalices), complemented this heritage. Disused in 1983 for financial reasons and a decline in religious practice, it was listed in extremis as historical monuments, avoiding demolition.

After its desecration, the church was rented as a banquet hall from 1992 to 2011. Despite its registration in 1983, its condition deteriorated due to a lack of funds for the roof (estimated EUR 800,000). The municipality, having invested EUR 10 million in the conservatory, was able to restore it. Today, its future remains uncertain, although its architecture (nef without transept, low side, Greek pediment) and its history bear witness to the industrial and religious age of Roubaix.

The decline of the church is in the post-conciliar context (1970s), marked by the gradual disaffection of places of worship. The diocese of Lille, favoring the church of Saint Martin (smaller but less expensive), abandoned Notre-Dame. Its inscription as a historic monument now protects its structure, organ and double staircase chair, symbols of an artistic, social and spiritual heritage.

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