Le Corbusier: Notre-Dame du Haut

The chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut is built based on a white arch with coloured glass openings. The frame of the roof, inspired by a crab shell, is made of raw concrete. With materials such as concrete, stone, wood, cast iron, bronze, enamel and glass, Le Corbusier created a masterpiece surprisingly light and luminous. By constructive qualities and spatial organization, the two essential elements of creation are highlighted: material and light.

The chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut retains a multi-coloured wooden statue of the Virgin dating from the end of the 17th century. Its walls, wrapped in concrete, are built with stones from the old church. There are, however, sixteen fortified concrete pillars that carry the shell of the roof. A manifesto of modern sacred architecture, the chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut is a fine example of the material union between past and present.

In addition to the chapel, there are, on the hill, two other buildings designed by Le Corbusier: the Pilgrim Shelter (L’Abri du Pelerin) and the Chaplain’s House (La Maison du Chapelain). He also erected, on the ridge, the Pyramid of Peace, a memorial in honour of the soldiers who died for the liberation of Ronchamp in 1944.

During his visit to Ronchamp in 1959, Le Corbusier said: “Thanks to you all users, I am rewarded.”