Saint-Michel

Sunday (once or twice a month) : 9.45 am - 11.15 am

Situated in the centre of the historical village of Roquetoire (village patrimoine), between the towns of Aire-sur-la Lys and Saint-Omer, the church of St. Michel is to be seen over the roofs of the village.

The origines of the village are very old, there was a thermal establishment in Antiquité (Romain or pre-romain) in the region already inhabited. Water was very important in the history of the community, as a legend tells us : during the reign of St. Louis a great drought occured and rendered the soil infertile. The priest put an end to it by striking the ground with a statue of St. Michel. A source flowed, and has since never dried up.

The present-day church is in the neo-gothic style and replaced the previous one which was too small. It can be seen in the ‘Albums de Cröy’. The construction of this new church was overseen by Father Leroy, parish priest of Moulle and born in Roquetoire. He convinced the village council and the church council to rebuild the church in 1871. It is an ogival style church with three naves, and is built of brick.  It was possible due to the generosity of the local population : «  the rich gave gold, the farmers their silver, their wagons and horses, the working people their savings, and the poor the strength of their arms » (Father Leroy, 1871).

The church of St. Michel invites visitors to discover its history and that of the village, in a presentation of litugical objects, protected by a processional canopy, an object rarely seen in our churches.