Notre Dame du Haut
| Notre Dame du Haut | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Ronchamp, Haute-Saône, France |
| Geographic coordinates | 47°42′16.37″N 6°37′14.08″E / 47.7045472°N 6.6205778°ECoordinates: 47°42′16.37″N 6°37′14.08″E / 47.7045472°N 6.6205778°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Country | France |
| Year consecrated | 25 June 1955 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Pilgrimage Chapel |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Le Corbusier |
| Architectural type | church |
| Groundbreaking | 1953 |
| Completed | 1955 |
| Materials | Concrete |
| Official name: The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, vi |
| Designated | 2016 (40th session) |
| Reference no. | 1321-012 |
| State Party | France |
| Official name: Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut | |
| Designated | 1967 |
| Reference no. | PA00102263 |
| Denomination | Chapelle |
Notre Dame du Haut (French: Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut de Ronchamp) is a Roman Catholic chapel in Ronchamp, France. Built in 1954, it is one of the finest examples of the architecture of Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier and one of the most important examples of twentieth-century religious architecture. The chapel is a working religious building and is under the guardianship of the private foundation Association de l’Œuvre de Notre-Dame du Haut. It attracts 80,000 visitors each year.
Notre Dame du Haut is commonly thought of as a more extreme design of Le Corbusier’s late style. Commissioned by the Association de l'Œuvre Notre Dame du Haut, the chapel is a simple design with two entrances, a main altar, and three chapels beneath towers. Although the building is small, it is powerful and complex. The chapel is the latest of chapels at the site. The previous chapel was completely destroyed there during World War II. The previous building was a 4th-century Christian chapel. At the time the new building was being constructed, Corbusier was not exactly interested in “Machine Age” architecture but he felt his style was more primitive and sculptural. Also, he realized when he visited the site that he could not use mechanized means of construction, because access was too difficult.
On January 17, 2014, Notre Dame du Haut became the target of a break-in. A concrete collection box was thrown outside, and one of the stained-glass windows, also designed by Le Corbusier and the only one on the chapel to carry his signature, was broken.
The site is high on a hill near Belfort in eastern France. There had been a pilgrimage chapel on the site dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but it was destroyed during the Second World War. After the war, it was decided to rebuild on the same site, in the hill of Bourlémont. The Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut, a shrine for the Roman Catholic Church at Ronchamp, France was built for a reformist Church looking to continue its relevance. Warning against decadence, reformers within the Church at the time looked to renew its spirit by embracing modern art and architecture as representative concepts. Father Marie-Alain Couturier, who would also sponsor Le Corbusier for the La Tourette commission, steered the unorthodox project to completion in 1954.
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