Le Losc and Notre-Dame de la Treille Cathedral, united for the club’s 80th anniversary

Associating a Champions League match with the Catholic community of Lille seems at first sight improbable and yet, since December 17, if you go inside the cathedral, you will be able to discover an exhibition dedicated to the tifo, raised by the LOSC supporters during the match against Juventus in Turin last November. A tifo representing the Notre-Dame de la Treille cathedral.

Because it was during this match against Juventus in Turin on November 5 that the beautiful story between LOSC and Notre-Dame de La Treille began.

To celebrate the qualification for the Champions League of the Lille football club and for its 80th anniversary, the main group of Dogues Virage Est supporters decided to celebrate this anniversary in a big way and to mark the spirits by producing a series of tifos representing places emblematic and strong symbols of the Capital of Flanders.

This past November 5, during the Champions League match between LOSC and Juventus Turin, it was a large tifo representing the Treille Cathedral which was erected by the northern supporters in the stand, on which we could read the inscription in Latin: “???????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????” — “???????????????????????? ????̀ ???????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ????????????????????, ???????????????????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????”. A reminder of religious history which says that the city was entrusted to the protection of the Virgin Mary”, tells us Marie Schockaert, responsible for communications for the diocese.

A great tifo, which will surprise many people, from the players on the field to the Christian community, particularly moved to see this tribute paid to the cathedral inside the stadium, as Thomas Sanchez, culture manager, explains. and communication from the Cathedral: “it was a nice surprise for the Christians and Catholics of the diocese of Lille to see the Cathedral enter the stadium and the world of football »

As Marie Schockaert explains « It's not common to see the cathedral displayed in the stands of LOSC. We had a lot of positive feedback from the evening of the match. What particularly affected the city's Catholics was that a religious monument was highlighted as the city's heritage..

If the group of LOSC supporters, the “ East turn mastiffs » had already made an impression against Real Madrid, with a tifo representing the Goddess, another strong symbol of the city, the choice of the Notre-Dame de la Treille cathedral, quickly became clear: “When the club qualified for the Champions League, we wanted to mark the occasion by planning a tifo representing a large emblematic monument of the city at each home matchexplains Donatien Drouin, president of the DVE. We wanted the Goddess from the start, because it is the most emblematic for the club. But La Treille quickly became obvious. It's important for us to be guarantors of the city's history. We feel a great movement around the club, we want to perpetuate it.»

A tribute to which the Diocese of Lille Cathedral team could not go unanswered.

As Thomas Sanchez explains, “ it's incredible to think that a few years ago the cathedral was unloved by the people of Lille and little frequented just 10 years ago, to now be recognized by football as an emblematic place in the city of Lille.»

For the cathedral team, the desire was born to also bring the world of football and the stadium into Lille Cathedral.

“We worked with the leaders of DVE, tell Thomas Sanchez, they gave us three photos, including one signed by all the Losc players. To mark the launch of the exhibition, Lucas Chevalier, LOSC goalkeeper, and Rémy Cabella, attacking midfielder, were keen to be present, to demonstrate their commitment to the world of sport, but also their personal commitment to spirituality. and heritage.”

This tribute inside the stadium, and this exhibition in the heart of the cathedral is a great recognition for the diocesan team, for the opening work accomplished over the past ten years, with the various scheduled events, concerts, at the rate of one concert per week in 2024, the Luminiscence exhibition at the moment which exceeds 80,000 spectators and of which 90% of visitors have never entered the cathedral.

For Thomas Sanchez“this strengthens the positioning of the Cathedral, and confirms its influence among a large majority of Lille residents and its recognition as an emblematic place in the city”.

An exhibition, also to show, that the cathedral, whether you are a believer or not, is a gathering place which carries values ​​like the world of sport: values ​​of fraternity, humanist values, essential in these Christmas times when sometimes our society is a bit over-consumer… Remember the essentials, fraternity, living together.

The exhibition is visible at La Treille, Place Gilleson in Lille, until January 12, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., Monday from 2 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., every day in January from 2 p.m. at 6:15 p.m.