Completed in 1955, Notre Dame du Haut stands to be one of the greatest examples of the latter style of Franco-Swiss architect, Le Corbusier.
Notre Dame du Haut – The Southern Facade
Built in Ronchamp, France, this Modernist design of the religious structure was commissioned by the l’Oeuvre Notre Dame du Haut Association.
The design is simplistic yet empowering. With only two entrances, a main altar and three chapels, the genius lies in providing the visitors with the ability of perceiving the structure differently from every perspective.
Built on a hill near Belfort in eastern France, there had been a chapel previously on the same ground, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The structure was then found destroyed after the end of the Second World War and hence, as a result of reutilizing the site, Le Corbusier gave France Notre Dame du Haut.
The unusual roof, shaped like a sail billowing, allows the church to feel like the ship of God. Mostly built of concrete and stone, the church has often been described as one of the first Post–Modern buildings. All elements found on the exterior come together to produce an equally mystical and a dramatic interior.
The southern façade is welcoming to the visitors climbing up from the path. The wall they first see has quite a wide entrance of 3.7 m although it narrows and gets higher on the other end.
Notre Dame du Haut – The Northern Facade
To everyone’s surprise, the windows are disordered with random patterns; however, the reason is understood once the visitors are inside the church as the lighting effect incorporates beautifully with the structure.
Coming around to the eastern facade, visitors tend to find an external chapel and from a distance, the chapel is understood to be framed by the south wall.
Facing the northern facade, visitors see a secondary entrance and a staircase. Initially, a bell tower was part of the original design which was to be built in a space now overtaken by trees; however the tower was never built.
One of the most creative features of the exterior is found on the western facade. The structure feels entirely plain except the gargoyle which collects rain water and drains it to a concrete structure underneath.
The structure in its own presence describes sheer architectural class until it becomes better once inside. Pieces of tinted glass are embedded within the walls, some of which are as deep as ten feet. As the glass glows with the sunlight, the shades of various colors fall inside, onto the seating. This concept of Corbusier goes hand in hand with the application of randomly shaped windows on the southern wall outside.
Five decades since the structures was established, it had seen no changes until its redevelopment now in the modern era. Renzo Piano, world’s renowned architect, is to design the new gate house, a nunnery and a visitors chapel, filling soul back into one of the greatest architectural structure of the 20th century.
