Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine

Familiarly called the Big Madeleine because of his stocky figure, the church of Lille is since 1990 a place for contemporary art. Architecturally, its originality lies in a central plan with a dome, only for churches in Lille and rare for the Nord / Pas-de-Calais. The choir of the church is considered a jewel of Baroque art of Flanders, in contrast with the rest of the building, a simple classic style. The architect Thomas Joseph Gombert has not guided the church because he wanted to open a perspective on the main facade from the street of the Carmelites (now Rue de Thionville). The construction of the building began in 1233 and underwent over the centuries of dramatic change. In 1989, the church was abandoned. This magnificent, restored as part of Lille 2004 European Capital of Culture, hosts regular art installations and revealing dialogue with the architecture of this ancient church.