Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Saint-François-d In 1893, François Masurel, a local textile manufacturer, financed the construction of a first church on his land. Consecrated in 1895, it adopted an unusual neo-Byzantine style for the time, with bricks and white stones characteristic of regional architecture. The building was originally named after his patron, who died in 1894.

Around 1962-1963, the church was completely redesigned to give way to a modern building, marked by the liturgical and architectural evolutions of the twentieth century. On May 3, 1964, the new church of St. Francis-d-Assisi was blessed. Its contemporary style contrasts with the neo-Gothic or neo-Roman churches of the region, reflecting a desire for aesthetic and functional rupture.

Mouvaux, integrated into Romanesque Flanders, has a history related to the textile industry and the Catholic faith. As early as the 12th century, the town was mentioned as a fief dependent on the bishopric of Tournai. In the 17th century, a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame-des-Malades was erected, bearing witness to local devotion. The church of Saint Francis is part of this religious tradition, while symbolizing the urban and social transformations of the twentieth century.

The parish of Mouvaux, which also includes the churches Saint-Germain (centre-ville) and Sacré-Coeur, illustrates the demographic and urban evolution of the commune. The district of Les Francs, where Saint-François stands, was historically a place of working life, linked to textile factories. The reconstruction of the church in 1964 coincided with a period of modernization of Mouvaux, marked by ambitious urban planning projects and a diversification of the habitat.

Today, the Church of St. Francis-d-Assisi is part of a dynamic parish complex, reflecting both Mouvaux's religious heritage and its adaptation to contemporary needs. Its history is inseparable from that of local industrial families, such as the Masurel, which marked the economic and cultural development of the city.

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