Church of Saint Humbert in Maroilles - Discover this open and welcoming religious building

Church | XVIII | Neoclassical | Catholic Church

Disabled access Parking space Toilets Carillon Organ Pilgrimage site

Map

Opening hours

01 November - 30 April
Mon 9.00 - 17.00
Tue 9.00 - 17.00
Wed 9.00 - 17.00
Thu 9.00 - 17.00
Fri 9.00 - 17.00
Sat 9.00 - 17.00
Sun 9.00 - 17.00

01 May - 31 October
Mon 9.00 - 18.30
Tue 9.00 - 18.30
Wed 9.00 - 18.30
Thu 9.00 - 18.30
Fri 9.00 - 18.30
Sat 9.00 - 18.30
Sun 9.00 - 18.30

Description

Known for its cheese, the commune of Maroilles also has a rich historical heritage. Its history began around 650 with the founding of Maroilles Abbey by a Frankish nobleman related to the Pippinids. Thanks to its strategic location, the abbey became one of the most important in the north. Its first abbot, Saint Humbert, played a major role ; his relics are now kept in the parish church.

In the 9th century, the abbey became part of the royal domain. Its abbots became influential advisers to the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, notably Maximilian, Charles V and Philip II. Located in Imperial lands, heir to the Duchy of Burgundy, and close to the French border, Maroilles was long considered a strategic location. Its inhabitants were nicknamed the ‘Burgundians’, even after it was annexed to France by the Treaty of the Pyrenees.

The parish church, dedicated to Sainte-Marie but traditionally called Saint-Humbert, is closely linked to the history of the abbey. First mentioned in 1131, it was rebuilt in the 18th century between 1729 and 1768. Despite the losses suffered during the Revolution, it retains its remarkable architecture, recognisable by its four-spired tower, which is rare in the North. Located on the Via Gallia Belgica, the road to Santiago de Compostela, it welcomes pilgrims. The church has been listed as a historic monument since 1969.

Photos

Remarkable elements

Gobert organ (1725)

This organ comes from the abbey church of Maroilles Abbey, which no longer exists. It is particularly impressive with its Baroque-style case. It still has its original instrument, created by the organ builder Gobert of Lille in 1725. It is one of the most prestigious instruments in the region.

The relics of Saint Humbert

Saint Humbert founded Maroilles Abbey in 652. His skull is preserved in a 19th-century copper reliquary, to the right of the choir, on the altar dedicated to him.

Tabernacle

There is no altarpiece in the choir, but a large canopy. On the marble altar is the tabernacle, a sacred cabinet where the consecrated hosts are kept, the most sacred place for believers. The one in Maroilles, made of gilded wood and decorated with mirrors that amplify the light of the candles, dates from the mid-18th century.

Paintings of Saint Catherine of Siena

At the back of the nave are two large paintings illustrating the life of Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), a Dominican nun involved in the struggle against the Avignon schism. Painted by Vaast Bellegambe for the Dominican Father Petit, they show on the right the reception of the stigmata and the exchange of hearts with Christ, and on the left the mystical marriage of the saint, in the presence of the Virgin Mary and Saint Dominic.