The Church of St. Mary Magdalene is located in the district of "Old Lille".
Construction began in 1676 after that was demolished in 1670, following the city's fortification work of Vauban, a former chapel dating from the thirteenth.
Sometimes dubbed by local residents "the Big Madeleine" because of its massiveness and its dome is reminiscent of a madeleine, the building was erected in phases. If masonry, chancel arches and the first floor of the facade was completed in 1677, the upper part of the facade was completed in 1688, the dome in 1701 and chapels of the rotunda in 1707. Then, a first restoration s opera in 1713 after the seat of the Austrian armies in 1708 damaged the church.
Architecturally, different styles are mixed. The choir decoration evokes the Flemish Renaissance, while the elevation of the dome seems to be inspired from ancient Greece, like the Doric and Ionic columns of the facade whose wings, however, fall within the Baroque.
Inside, several remarkable paintings are preserved, like the raising of Lazarus from Jacob van Oost the Younger at the altar, and the series of paintings dedicated to the life of Saint Madeleine signed Andre Cornelius Lens.
Closed to the public in 1969 for safety reasons, then deconsecrated church was the subject of work of securing and restoration during Lille 2004, when the city became a year for European Capital of Culture. The site included in the Inventory is dedicated to home for exhibitions and cultural events.
Information +33 3 20 49 52 81.