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Anne-Sophie Hourdeaux
Published on
Dec 18 2024 at 3:40 p.m.
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The LOSC makes his entry into the cathedral Notre-Dame de la Treille in Lille (North)! Until January 12, 2025, a unusual exhibition takes place in theemblematic building of the capital of Flanders. You can discover the photos of supporters’ “tifos” mastiffs. Lucas Chevalier and Remy Cabellaemblematic players of the team, appreciated.
LOSC at Notre Dame de la Treille
What is the connection between football and Lille Cathedral? Well since November 5, 2024, we have the answer: a tifo! This is the surprise reserved for a group of LOSC supporters, the Mastiffs Virage Est (DVE) during a Champions League match, by unfurling what can be defined as a giant banner representing… the Notre-Dame de la Treille cathedral!
We had already seen a tifo representing the Pope in Marseille. But in Lille, it is the first time that a religious building was thus represented at the stadium.
Imagine the scene: in Villeneuve d’Ascq, in a sold-out Pierre Mauroy stadium for the LOSC – Juventus match in Turin. At the start of the match, a giant banner, 30 meters by 5 meters, is displayed in a stand: it represents the Lille Cathedral. Even the LOSC players weren’t aware!
A Nice surprise
Thomas Sanchez, cultural manager of the place of worship, is not there. But a member of the Nice tourism ministry contacted him: “One of his priest friends from Nice was at the LOSC-Juventus match, he saw the banner and took a photo of it, which was sent to me! » he remembers. He contacted the bishop, Mgr Le Boulc’h.
I was in a meeting when I received the photo. I had a hard time believing it! I am delighted that Notre Dame returned to the stadium. Cathedral and stadium are places of gathering for everyone, places of joy, celebration, and strong values.
The communications department of the diocese of Lille quickly relays the information on social networks and launches an appeal: who had this great initiative? Donatien Drouin, the president of the Dogues Virage Est supporters club at the origin of the banner, contacted Thomas Sanchez via messenger. “Social networks are good! » underlines the cultural manager.
Contact made, the idea of not stopping there germinated. Why not a photo exhibition? In one month, the project came to fruition. Its inauguration even saw two LOSC players!
There is one in the audience who is a football fan: Father Raphaël Willot, canon, wears the LOSC cap. He recalled that two other players had already come to testify at the cathedral: Yohan Cabaye and Vincent Enyeama.
Two players at the cathedral
Lucas Chevalier23, is the emblematic goalkeeper of LOSC, trained at the club. “I congratulate those who did the tifo, it is an important quality and time of work. It highlights the city and this mythical place.”
Remy Cabella34 years old, midfielder at LOSC since 2022. It was the first time he came to Lille Cathedral. He testified not to his sporting vocation but to his faith! “I am Protestant, we are all united with Christ. Faith is very important in my everyday life. Sharing it with football is important, it’s a very good image that we give to the cathedral, to the city, to Christians. Christians must share their faith.”
Catholic by birth but not practicing, it was by meeting a pastor and going to the temple that he began to read the Bible and practice.
I practice my faith by going to worship every week, even when I have a match I manage. I have read the entire Bible and read a passage every day! I don’t hesitate to display it, I share Bible verses on my social networks, I realize that people react, that many are Christians but are shy. You should not be afraid to share your faith. Seeing a football player embrace his religion can help.
One of his favorite verses? “Humans chart their path, God leads” and also “Love your neighbor as yourself”. “But above all, we must put them into practice on a day-to-day basis, this especially helps in today’s world.” In the LOSC team, several religious denominations exist, “we talk about it from time to time and always with respect, it shows on the ground, our good team cohesion! »
How is a tifo created?
Developing a tifo is a titanic task: “It took 20 young people from our group 3 weeks, every day from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., to create it! » recalls Donatien Drouin, proud of his team. And the exercise is all the more worthwhile because it is ephemeral. “Each tifo has a lifespan of a few minutes, because after being laid out in the stadium once, it is either destroyed or recycled,” explains the president of the supporters club.
How are the tifos made? Because from a distance, it could look like a photo printed on a tarpaulin. But not at all! There are several steps. You first need a photo that is represented on a grid. Each square therefore contains part of the photo. “We project the image thus cut onto squares of fabric, we make a first outline. Then, the fabric is placed on the ground and is painted with a brush and roller according to the drawing, it’s a giant coloring with numbers! All of the squares are then sewn,” explains Donatien Drouin. It is thus artistic and creative work that is highlighted.
Why the cathedral?
Why did you highlight the cathedral in this way during a football match? Remember that holding a tifo is a real tradition for several supporter clubs! The DVEs do around 10 per year. The themes vary: faces, message, building… “We have already had players’ faces, the emblem of the mastiffs, the Goddess of Lille…” say the members of DVE.
To celebrate the qualification for the Champions League of the Lille football club LOSC and for their 80th birthday, the main group of Lille supporters decided to highlight emblematic buildings of the capital of Flanders. The cathedral is obviously one of them. “We wanted to highlight the history of the city and remind people that the site where the cathedral is built is in fact the very origin of Lille! The birthplace of Lille is here. »
An assumed religious connotation
This choice of the cathedral was not only a heritage reference. The organizers even dared to include the inscription in Latin to accompany the image: “Gloria sanctissimae virginis Mariae patronae Insulensis”, that is to say “Glory to the Holy Virgin Mary, patroness of Lille”. The opportunity to remember that this year we are celebrating the 390th anniversary of the Consecration of the City of Lille to Notre-Dame de la Treille by Jean Le Vasseur, mayor of the City of Lille in the 17th century!
Donatien Drouin completely assumes the religious connotation of the approach. “France is fundamentally Christian, I wanted to recall the meaning of faith, of the Church, I assume the Christian values of this tifo. We must be proud of our values.”
That of Treille Cathedral will experience a “rebound” with a photo exhibition representing 3 photos of the famous tifo. One will undoubtedly catch the eye of supporters, because it includes the signatures of all the LOSC players!
The exhibition is on view until January 12, 2025 during the cathedral’s opening hours.
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