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Origin and history

The Hôtel de l'Intendance, also known as the Hôtel de l'Évêché, is a private hotel built between 1685 and 1703 for Nicolas François Faulconnier, lord of Wambrechies. Originally named Hotel de Wambrechies, it was acquired in 1784-1785 by the Magistrate of Lille, then transformed by architect Michel-Joseph Lequeux to install Charles d'Esmangart, Intendant of Flanders and d'Artois. Lequeux died tragically on the site in 1786, and the work was completed in 1787. The building, of classic style, features a doric and ionic columns peristyle, as well as a ballroom added during extensions.

During the Revolution, the hotel became headquarters in 1791, and in 1796 received command of the 16th military division. Renamed Hôtel du Commande, he hosted Napoleon Bonaparte during his visit in 1803, which led to the transfer of the Douai prefecture to Lille. In 1825, after restorations, it housed the northern prefecture until 1872, the date of his move to the Republic Square. The hotel was then rented at the Catholic University of Lille (1874-1881) before being bought by the Ladies of the Sacred Heart.

Expelled in 1904, the nuns gave the building to Countess Boselli-Scrive in 1908, which made it available to the archbishops of Cambrai. Since 1913, it has been home to the bishopric of Lille (now archdiocese in 2008). Ranked a historic monument in 1927, the hotel was restored between 1995 and 2000, preserving its original facades, roofs and gate. Its architecture, typical of French-style hotels, combines honorary courtyard and garden, with wings added in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Today, the Hôtel de l'Intendance remains the seat of the archdiocese of Lille, testifying to its turbulent history, marked by administrative, military, academic and religious uses. Its location in the city centre, Rue Royale, and its status as a protected monument make it a major heritage element of Hauts-de-France.

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