Saint-Maurice is the most purely Flemish of Lille's churches — a hallekerque (hall church), meaning all five naves are of equal height, creating a vast, luminous, column-filled interior quite unlike the French Gothic norm where a tall central nave dominates and the side aisles are clearly subordinate. The effect is horizontal and democratic, the columns so slender they seem barely adequate to support the stone vaulting above.
Construction began in the 14th century and continued into the 16th, which accounts for the mix of early and late Gothic detail in the choir and nave. The choir stalls are carved oak, the windows are largely 19th-century, and the overall impression is of a working church that has been in continuous use for 700 years — worn, well-maintained, and alive. Saint-Maurice sits on the Rue Pierre-Mauroy near the main square and is easy to visit as part of any walk through the city centre. Entry is free.