Maisons des Jésuites - Tournai

The houses of the Jesuits of Tournai, also known as the Vilain or Manarre houses , are a group of four buildings built in the early 13th century . They are among the oldest civic buildings in the city and for centuries belonged to the Vilain family , who worked there as money changers.

Divided into three parts, the houses were married to the Jesuits, who were eventually expelled . In 1674, the Manarre family took ownership of the property and set up a foundation in their name to house orphaned girls . Later, different owners lived in or rented out each of the houses.

These four buildings were built entirely in limestone at a time when the Gothic style was beginning to prevail over the Romanesque style. These houses still bear the stamp of Romanesque architecture, as evidenced by the greater horizontality emphasized by a series of continuous lines. However, the slender columns and the finer treatment of the stained-glass windows betray the Gothic style of these facades

Willem Vandenameele