For years the idea of visiting Lille was trapped in my mind. One factor which brought me to this place was another project, searching for the roots of Jacques De La Porte, a French-Flemish Huguenot who became one of the first Western farmers in South Africa.
His story of migration is the sanctum of will-power when he set out with his 18 year old Picardie wife in to flee the persecution of the Protestants by the Catholic Louis XVI, known as the Sun-King, the longest reigning monarch of any European country. His reign began in and after a succession of wars, Lille fell to France in The Sun King died in Jacques migration begun by entering the tolerant and welcoming Holland where they married, before boarding a boat with his pregnant partner and setting ahead through the Dutch East India Company to the Cape of Good Hope.
It was the price they paid for a new start. Here some years later, his family had thrived in a new land and I was looking to find out where it had began. With notebook in hand containing his basic details and some poorly strung together school-girl French I set about to find something tangible on his humble beginnings. There are five gates in Lille, all representing an important city. No record could be found of his mother, only his wealthy father and step-mother, whilst they appeared to remain Jacques took the opportunity to change his circumstances.
His universal trade, a farmer. The Protestants were driven out of France through what can only be understood as a religious genocide, they fled to far corners of the world striving to start a new life free from ideological persecution. In Lille however, little remains of their artisan roots. Louis XIV did very well out of the mission. A lengthy Boulevard named after him, Le Grand Place built under his ordersand virtually no Protestant roots left today minus one church β the Eglise Protestante Unie de France, situated near the Synagogue to name a few things.
From the Le Grand Place Main Square I made my way towards the older Flemish part of town perhaps there was something here which could indicate these past lives. These old streets were lined with patisseries showcasing vibrant macaroons, windows of hand crafted leather bags coupled with perfectly cut dresses and chocolate shops.
