Cathédrale Notre-Dame de la Treille

We call it "la Treille". The Mother Church of the diocese, it is the place for large gatherings during the high points of the Catholic tradition. Open daily from 10am to 6:15pm, it welcomes tourists and visitors, pilgrims and faithful alike. Times of prayer and celebration, exhibitions and a variety of cultural and musical events make it an important part of life in Vieux Lille.


The cathedral stands on the site of the ancient feudal motte where the first keep of the Counts of Flanders was supposedly built. Several centuries later, in 1854, the foundation stone of the future cathedral was laid. The apsidal chapel was completed in 1897, followed shortly afterwards by the choir and transept. In 1913, Lille became the seat of a bishopric, while work on the church continued slowly until 1947.


In the end, the neo-Gothic complex was not completed according to the original plans. The modern facade, commissioned from architects Pierre-Louis Carlier and Peter Rice and completed in 1999, responds to the economic constraints encountered towards the end of construction. The rose window is by the artist Ladislas Kijno, and the bronze portal by the sculptor Georges Jeanclos.