Brother François MES

Brother François MES, born in Haarlem (NL) on 15 March 1892, came from a Protestant family. He converted to Catholicism and joined Saint Paul's Abbey in Oosterhout (NL) in 1917 as a lay brother. He proved to be a multi-talented artist. He was sent to Saint Paul's Abbey in Wisques in 1923, where he remained until his death on 17 October 1983.

Brother François contributed to the decoration of the Audomar monastery, which was built in 1928 by the monk-architect Dom Paul Bellot. Along with other artists, Brother François set out to promote renewed sacred art, worthy of the liturgy. From the 1920s onwards, his works were exhibited in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Considered a "colourist", his paintings are recognisable by their use of blue and orange hues.

After the Second World War, the churches in Auvergne near the Abbey of Saint-Paul benefited from the talent of the monk-artists of Wisques. Father Henry Delpierre, a monk from Wisques, called on the services of Brother François MES, who carried out some of the decoration of the churches in Zudausques, Cormette, Leulinghem and Quelmes.

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