Parish Church of Sainte-Marguerite - Tournai

The Church of St. Marguerite, which is now used as a residence , is a classical style building with a neoclassical entrance portal and a Gothic tower.

The cathedral opens onto the Place de Lille and was built in 1285 by the cathedral chapter, on the site of an old chapel dedicated to the same saint. Less than a century later, the smallness of the building necessitated its reconstruction, which began in 1361.

During this second project the Gothic tower was built. It is crowned with a special octagonal bell tower from the 18th century, which replaces the original spire. In 1672, King Louis XIV donated the church to the canons regular of Saint Médard. Their abbey had to be demolished to allow the glacis of the new citadel to be established. The canons used the Gothic church as an abbey. On the night of December 23, 1733, a fire destroyed the choir, nave and spire; only the bell tower survived the disaster. The financial situation of the abbey does not allow the building to be rebuilt.

We had to wait until 1756 (date engraved on the frame) to see the reconstruction of a new building under Abbot Jean-Baptiste Van der Heyden. It consists of a long nave of brick and limestone without an aisle, illuminated by tall semi-circular windows and punctuated by colossal pilasters. The whole is covered with an impressive slate roof . In 1779, the canons of Saint-Médard purchased the former Jesuit college from the Austrian government, repurposing the building as a parish church.

The neoclassical portal was built between the departure of the canons and 1782 (decree of the Empress). The church was empty for a long time and was abandoned and is now used as a home. The entire interior, the stained glass windows and the framework are no longer present.

Willem Vandenameele