Lille - Churches

The Gothic church of St-Maurice (14th-19th centuries) in Lille has five aisles of the same height and 36 tall columns; in one of its chapels is a 16th century wood statue of the Scourging. Northwest of St-Maurice, in Rue Royale, is the Gothic church of Ste-Catherine (15th century, enlarged in 1725), with a "Martyrdom of St Catherine" by Rubens (c. 1622) in the north aisle. At the other end of Rue Royale, which is lined by handsome buildings, is the 18th century church of St-André. To the east of Ste-Catherine is the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille (19th-20th century, unfinished).

To the north is the church of Ste-Marie- Madeleine (begun 1675), a handsome circular structure with a dome 50m/165ft high. The present facade dates from 1884.