Ronchamp - La Chapelle Notre-Dame du Haut Listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site in July 2016 This has been a place of pilgrimage since Celtic times. When the chapel was bombed during the Second World War, it was so important that it had to be rebuilt. France had lost nearly 2000 religious buildings destroyed by war and so it was decided that a renaissance was needed and artists and architects of the day such as Chagall and Matisse, Léger and Le Corbusier were asked to revitalise the churches. This chapel was inaugurated on June 25, 1955 after five years of design and two years of building work. Chapel of Light The white walls are pierced with different sized and shaped openings. The main door of cast iron was decorated by Le Corbusier in brightly coloured enamel work and it only opens on pilgrimage days. To enter the chapel, you walk around the other side of the building. The contrast of the bright light outside and the dark interior is striking but the myriad of lights like a celestial coming break through the apertures, and the inclusion of primary tones of glass colour your vision. This is not stained glass but Le Corbusier ' sometimes combed the glass with mineral oxides like glass enamelling, in which he scratched, rubbed and played with paint runs.' There is fluidity and vitality, silence and space. There is a stark altar in each of the three chapel areas which provide 'a haven of contemplation and prayer.' Le Corbusier said: 'The key is light and light illuminates forms. And these forms take on an emotive power through the proportions, through the interplay of unexpected, stunning relationships...' The pulpit and the confessionals, the sparse furniture and the simplicity are all in harmony. Convent Sainte-Claire
La Colline Notre-Dame du Haut is open all year except January 1. For reference: Well illustrated paperback , 'Ronchamp, Chapel of Light' by Yves Bouvier and Christophe Cousin, in English, ISBN 978-2-84093-224-6, available from the Ronchamp shop Places to stay La Maison d'Hotes du Parc, Ronchamp Rougegoutte, sleeps 2-4, ref: 1284156a SEE ALSO A-Z Franche-Comté - highlights at a glance
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