Université catholique de Lille
The Université Catholique de Lille (commonly known as "La catho"), officially the Fédération universitaire et pluridisciplinaire de Lille (according to its statutes), is a federation of higher education establishments, of Catholic inspiration2 , created in 1973. Its history dates back to 1875. It is associated with the Hauts-de-France Polytechnic University, research centres and a hospital group. Together, these institutions will have more than 36,700 students in 2021.The Catholic University of Lille is a partner in the Université Lille Nord-Europe (I-SITE) initiative of excellence led by the Université de Lille. On 1 March 2022, the decree n°2022-304 associating the Catholic University of Lille (FUPL) with the Université polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF) was published. The year of the Wallon Law of 12 July 1875 freeing up higher education, the Catholic University of Lille was founded by a committee of lay Ultramontanes including Philibert Vrau, "embarrassed" by the absence of such a structure in Lille while public schools were established in Lille since 1854. This was amidst a national debate on secularism before the church-state separation in France. The Faculty of Medicine was created in 1876 and the College of Theology in 1877. The official inauguration took place on 15 January 1877, upon receipt of the papal bull which gave the Lille Catholic University canonical status. The coat of arms was developed during the founding period, the 1870s. It highlights the institution's academic and ecclesial character, the tradition in which it is rooted, and the part played by the two northern provinces in its creation. It has four sections. The first offers a gules field with two keys in saltire: these are the weapons of the ancient Collège Saint-Pierre de Lille and Lille Cathedral, which represented the university's origins and union with the Chair of Peter. The second section is an ermine field with open book, distinguishing symbols of the science doctorate. The third section represents the Lion of Flanders.
