The Notre-Dame-du-Haut chapel is a Catholic chapel built from 1950 to 1955 on the Bourlémont hill, in Ronchamp, in Haute-Saône. Created by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, it is erected on the site of an ancient Roman sanctuary and a pilgrimage church severely damaged by bombing during liberation in…

The Notre-Dame-du-Haut chapel is a Catholic chapel built from 1950 to 1955 on the Bourlémont hill, in Ronchamp, in Haute-Saône. Created by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, it is erected on the site of an ancient Roman sanctuary and a pilgrimage church severely damaged by bombing during liberation in September 1944.

A real estate company, with the support and proposal of the Besançon Diocesan Commission for Sacred Art (CDAS), called upon Le Corbusier, the only architect capable of giving new impetus to contemporary sacred architecture. In the spring of 1950, Le Corbusier, despite his reluctance, climbed the hill. The surrounding landscapes and the past of the place touched the architect and resonated with his thoughts and feelings. On April 4, 1954, the first stone of the future chapel was laid. On June 25, 1955, the new Notre-Dame du Haut chapel was inaugurated. "I wanted to create a place of silence, prayer, peace, and inner joy," Le Corbusier said on the day of the inauguration. The Notre-Dame-du-Haut chapel was built like a white arch, pierced with openings with colored windows. The roof shell, with a shape inspired by a crab shell, was made of raw concrete. With materials such as concrete, stone, wood, cast iron, bronze, enamel and glass, Le Corbusier created a surprisingly light and luminous work. Through the constructive qualities and the organization of the space, the two essential elements of the creation are highlighted: matter and light. Its walls wrapped in concrete are built with stones from the old church. But it is sixteen reinforced concrete pillars that support the shell forming the roof. A manifesto figure of modern sacred architecture, the Notre-Dame du Haut chapel is also an example of a work linking the past and the present. In addition to the chapel, the architect built two other buildings on the hill framing the path: the Pilgrim's Shelter and the Chapelain's House. He also erected, on the edge of the hill, the Pyramid of Peace, a memorial in honour of the soldiers who died for the liberation of Ronchamp in 1944. During his last visit to Ronchamp, in 1959, Le Corbusier confided: "Thank you to all of you users, I am rewarded". Since then, the site has evolved: Jean Prouvé built a bell tower in the 1970s and recently, in 2011, Renzo Piano inaugurated the Poterie. Thus was born the harmonious architectural ensemble composed of the Sainte-Claire monastery, the Porterie, the bell tower and the Notre-Dame du Haut chapel. The latter, an iconic building, is a candidate for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016. A magnificent photographic campaign allows us to perceive both the majesty and the symbolic meaning of Le Corbusier's monument, as well as the architectural and decorative details, the result of an extraordinary creative dialogue. 1st major book (there are currently only tourist guides on the subject) and exceptional photographic campaign on the monument.

Authors: Maria Antonietta Crippa, Françoise Caussé
Publisher: Hazan - 2014

Weight: 2.04 kg
Dimensions: 24 x 2.5 x 32.5 cm
Language: French