A STUDY OF LE CORBUSIER`S NOTRE-DAME-DU

Transcription

A STUDY OF LE CORBUSIER'S
NOTRE-DAME-DU-HAUT, RONCHAMP AS
A TWENTIETH-CENTURY PILGRIMAGE CHAPEL
by
FRANCES SHERRY MCKAY
•A., The U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Columbia, 1974
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF
THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS
In
THE
FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES
(Fine A r t s Department)
We accept t h i s
t h e s i s as conforming
to the r e q u i r e d
THE
standard
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
October 1979
<Q Frances
Sherry McKay
E-6
In presenting t h i s thesis in p a r t i a l f u l f i l m e n t of the requirements f o r
an advanced degree at the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia, I agree that
the Library s h a l l make i t f r e e l y a v a i l a b l e for reference and study.
I further agree that permission for extensive copying of t h i s thesis
f o r s c h o l a r l y purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or
by his representatives.
It i s understood that copying or p u b l i c a t i o n
of t h i s thesis f o r f i n a n c i a l gain s h a l l not be allowed without my
w r i t t e n permission.
Department
The U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia
2075 Wesbrook Place
Vancouver, Canada
V6T 1W5
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11E
ABSTRACT
The
1955
completion of Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp, by Le C o r b u s i e r i n
provoked much comment and
post-World War
II era.
c o n j e c t u r e as t o i t s s i g n i f i c a n c e to
I t i s a French C a t h o l i c c h a p e l of
deceptively
p r i m i t i v e appearance b u i l t by a Swiss C a l v i n i s t a r c h i t e c t who
reported
as an a g n o s t i c
and
d u s t r i a l b u i l d i n g schemes.
popularly
Although v a r i o u s
of the
chapel e x i s t i n secular
of the
c h a p e l r e c o r d s the
h i s t o r y , and
associated
and
often
in-
interpretations
r e l i g i o u s j o u r n a l s , no
s i n g l e account
complex i n t e r a c t i o n of p e r s o n a l i t y ,
contemporary aims which are
was
w i t h v i s i o n a r y and
subjective
the
suggested i n the
institution,
c h a p e l ' s forms.
T h i s prompted an i n v e s t i g a t i o n of Notre-Dame-du-Haut as a
twentieth-cen-
tury pilgrimage chapel.
to e x p l o r e
Consequently, t h i s study s e t out
r e l a t i o n s h i p between French C a t h o l i c i s m
Le C o r b u s i e r as
The
and
the a r c h i t e c t u r a l t h e o r y of
i t i s expressed i n t h i s s m a l l
country pilgrimage chapel.
format of a t r a d i t i o n a l monograph was
adopted to f a c i l i t a t e
comparison between t r a d i t i o n a l a r c h i t e c t u r a l s o l u t i o n s
at Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
The
ground, commission, p l a n ,
study i s d i v i d e d
construction,
l i g h t - elements which are
shown to be
of the d e s i g n of t h i s church.
t i o n s h i p between c l i e n t and
and
those
a
discovered
i n t o seven c h a p t e r s - back-
acoustics,
ornamentation,
e s p e c i a l l y cogent i n the
Each chapter i s an a n a l y s i s
a r c h i t e c t , and
the
and
history
of the
rela-
between t r a d i t i o n a l p r a c t i c e s
and
twentieth-century a r c h i t e c t u r a l innovations.
own
conclusion
Each c h a p t e r reaches i t s
as to the c o n t r i b u t i o n made to the p i l g r i m a g e t r a d i t i o n at
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, and
to the p a t r o n and
to the
the p o s s i b l e s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h a t
architect.
contribution
iii
An e x t e n s i v e number of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s p u b l i s h e d w r i t i n g s and j o u r n a l s
were a v a i l a b l e from the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia l i b r a r y .
Among
them were two
These
books about the c h a p e l and
s u p p l i e d good v i s u a l m a t e r i a l .
Les Oeuvres Completes.
P l a n s , l e t t e r s , and documentation of the
c h a p e l p r e v i o u s l y u n p u b l i s h e d were o b t a i n e d from the Le
Foundation
i n Paris.
Corbusier
Correspondence between M a r c e l F e r r y , o r i g i n a l l y
i n v o l v e d i n the commission, and Abbe B o l l e - R e d d a t ,
first
and
r e s i d e n t p r i e s t a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut, o f f e r e d s i g n i f i c a n t
tion.
W r i t i n g s by members of the French
current
and new
informa-
C a t h o l i c Church, i n c l u d i n g pub-
l i s h e d p e r s o n a l j o u r n a l s of e c c l e s i a s t i c s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the p r o j e c t ,
were a l s o a v a i l a b l e from the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia
I n t e r l i b r a r y l o a n s u p p l i e d r e f e r e n c e s not found
p e r i o d i c a l s , and
locally.
contemporary newspaper accounts,
library.
Journals,
as w e l l as
general
survey books on church a r c h i t e c t u r e and Le C o r b u s i e r , p r o f f e r r e d
insight-
f u l background i n f o r m a t i o n .
In c o n c l u s i o n , the t h e s i s c o n s i d e r s the p i l g r i m a g e c h a p e l of
Notre-
Dame-du-Haut i n i t s a r c h i t e c t u r a l and r e l i g i o u s c o n t e x t s to see to what
extent t h e s e a r e r e f l e c t e d i n the c h a p e l ' s d e s i g n .
The
t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r attempted, i n a h i g h l y c o n s c i o u s way,
study
suggests
to accommodate
t r a d i t i o n and a p a r t i c u l a r s e c t i o n of contemporary r e l i g i o u s thought
h i s d e s i g n of the c h a p e l .
I t a l s o suggests
promising h i s p e r s o n a l a r c h i t e c t u r a l
t h a t he d i d so without
philosophy.
into
com-
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
vi
INTRODUCTION
1
Chapter
I
II
THE CIRCUMSTANCES
DESIGN
OF THE COMMISSION OF LE CORBUSIER'S
4
THE PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND TO THE
COMMISSION OF NOTRE-DAME-DU-HAUT
10
III
THE PILGRIMAGE CHURCH PLAN AND NOTRE-DAME-DU-HAUT . .
35
IV
CONSTRUCTION, MATERIALS, AND THE CREATION OF FORM . .
52
ACOUSTICS
67
ORNAMENTATION
73
V
VI
VII
VIII
LIGHT
100
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
114
FOOTNOTES
119
BIBLIOGRAPHY
151
ILLUSTRATIONS
163
V
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
M e d i e v a l P i l g r i m a g e Church, p l a n s
Sainte Odile, plan
Lourdes, s i t e
NStre-Dame-du-Haut, c. 1854, g e n e r a l v i e w
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, c. 1936, g e n e r a l v i e w
S a i n t e - T h l r e s e de 1'Enfant, p l a n
Sainte-Baume, p l a n
Santa-Anna.., p l a n
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, 1955 p l a n
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, g e n e r a l approach
Le C o r b u s i e r , sketches
1950 " ? ' V
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, south w a l l
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, e x t e r i o r , east
N<5tre-Dame-du-Haut, e x t e r i o r , west . .
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, e x t e r i o r , n o r t h
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, memorial pyramid
N6tre-Dame-du-Haut, c e r e m o n i a l door, i n t e r i o r & e x t e r i o r .
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, i n t e r i o r l o o k i n g east
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, i n t e r i o r s o u t h w a l l
N6tre-Dame-du-Haut, c r o s s - s e c t i o n l o o k i n g n o r t h
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, V-shaped s u p p o r t s
.
N6tre-Dame-du-Haut, 1 s t maquette
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, e x t e r i o r , s o u t h e a s t c o r n e r
Dolmen,
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, i n t e r i o r s o u t h c h a p e l
Le C o r b u s i e r : Sketches o f H a d r i a n ' s v i l l a , T i v o l i . . . .
Le C o r b u s i e r : S c u l p t u r e , 1948
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, windows
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, windows, s o u t h
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, c e r e m o n i a l b l o c k
N8tre-Dame-du-Haut, c e r e m o n i a l b l o c k , d e t a i l
F e r d i n a n d Ledger: The V i r g i n o f t h e L i t a n y
Le C o r b u s i e r : " j e u de s o l e i l " diagram
Le C o r b u s i e r : s k e t c h
Le C o r b u s i e r : l i t h o g r a p h
Dominican I m p e r i a l Monastery, I s l a n d of H i s p a n o l a , d e t a i l
dome
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, t a b e r n a c l e , f r o n t
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, t a b e r n a c l e , back
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, window d e t a i l
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p l a n 1950
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p l a n e c l a i r a g e
Dominican I m p e r i a l ' M o n a s t e r y , I s l a n d of. H i s p a n o l a , d e t a i l .
Jean L u r c a t : The A p o c a l y p s e , d e t a i l
Le C o r b u s i e r and o t h e r s : C h a p e l l e independante a t C e r n i e r Fontainemelon, 1907, d e t a i l of a l t a r w a l l
N3tre-Dame-du-Haut, e x t e r i o r east
163
163
164
164
165
165
166
166
167
168
169
170
170
171
171
172
173
174
174
175
176
176
177
177
178
178
179
180
180
181
181
182
182
1-8-3
183
184
184
185
185
186
187
188
188
189
18 9
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S
I wish t o express a profound g r a t i t u d e t o Abe R o g a t n i c k f o r h i s
a s t u t e comments and i n s i g h t f u l guidance throughout t h i s p r o j e c t and t o
Ann Rosenberg
f o r her u n f a i l i n g
P e s s i n , A v i s Rosenberg
support.
I would a l s o l i k e t o thank Marc
and Frances P o h l f o r t h e i r p r o f e s s i o n a l s k i l l s and
time t h a t were much c a l l e d upon i n t h e c r a f t i n g of t h i s s t u d y .
grateful
t o t h e s t a f f o f t h e Le C o r b u s i e r Foundation f o r t h e i r
and c o n g e n i a l i t y .
a l l her patience.
And f i n a l l y , a v e r y s p e c i a l
I am a l s o
assistance
thank you t o my mother f o r
1
INTRODUCTION
Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s an i s o l a t e d c o u n t r y c h a p e l t h a t has caused
much debate and i n t e r e s t d u r i n g t h e l a s t q u a r t e r o f a c e n t u r y .
It is
i n c l u d e d i n every major a r c h i t e c t u r a l survey book o f t h e p e r i o d ; i n d e e d ,
i t emblazons many o f t h e i r covers.'''
I t has generated
of c r i t i c i s m and comment, most o f i t f a v o u r a b l e .
an enormous amount
T h i s mass o f c r i t i c a l
l i t e r a t u r e , b o t h p o s i t i v e and n e g a t i v e , s e r v e s t o c o n v i n c e us t h a t t h e
importance
o f t h e c h a p e l as an a r c h i t e c t u r a l accomplishment
represen-
t a t i v e o f t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y - t h e c e n t u r y o f t e c h n o l o g y , machine
art,
mass domestic h o u s i n g , enormous s e c u l a r s t r u c t u r e s , and o f r e l i -
g i o u s s c e p t i c i s m - remains an i n d i s p u t a b l e f a c t .
In i t s h i s t o r y , t h e c h a p e l has e l i c i t e d o n l y two c r i t i q u e s o f con-
2
sequence from w i t h i n t h e Church body i t s e l f .
This c r i t i c i s m i s centered
A
upon i t s t h e o r e t i c a l b a s i s .
Notre-Dame-du-Haut was thought
particularly
p r a i s e w o r t h y by t h e spokesmen o f t h e French C a t h o l i c Church, t h e p a t r o n s
most d i r e c t l y concerned
w i t h i t s b u i l d i n g and those who were b e s t a c 3
q u a i n t e d w i t h i t s purposes.
I n r e l a t i o n t o t h e terms l a i d down by t h e
4
c l i e n t , t h e church has been judged
functionally perfect.
I t was
accepted n o t o n l y by t h e p a r i s h i o n e r s f o r whom i t was o s t e n s i b l y b u i l t ,
but by o f f i c i a l p o l i c y o f Rome as w e l l .
Even b e f o r e i t was
completed,
members o f t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l community were g l o r i f y i n g i t , " * and p r a i s e
by t h e r e l i g i o u s community soon f o l l o w e d .
However, w i t h i n a y e a r o f i t s
c o m p l e t i o n o t h e r s were b e g i n n i n g t o damn i t .
I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o note
t h a t w h i l e t h e c h a p e l was c r i t i c i z e d f o r i t s " f u n c t i o n a l "
shortcomings
by some a r c h i t e c t s , i t was s i m u l t a n e o u s l y p r a i s e d f o r i t s " f u n c t i o n a l "
s u p e r i o r i t y by members o f t h e Church.
A r e c e n t layman c r i t i c made t h e
c u r i o u s o b s e r v a t i o n t h a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut
(seen from a 1977
perspec-
t i v e ) c o u l d be thought to be "too much of i t s time"^, hence not, to h i s
mind, s u f f i c i e n t l y
avant-garde.
Less t a n g i b l e p o i n t s f o r d i s c u s s i o n , such as: Notre-Dame-du-Haut's
sacred c h a r a c t e r and the sense of mystery which i t provokes; Notre-Damedu-Haut as a temple
of j o y and optimism; Notre-Dame-du-Haut as an
s i o n of l i b e r a t i o n and a statement
religious writings.
g
of hope, appear
i n both secular
expres
and
I n v a r i a b l y the l o c a l and h i s t o r i c a l importance
the s i t e i s emphasised.
In most cases the p u r e l y f o r m a l and
of
aesthetic
9
a s p e c t s of the c h a p e l are s t r e s s e d .
There i s l i t t l e
q u e s t i o n i n g of
the a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s of the s t r u c t u r a l components and of the
appearance
final
of the c h a p e l - d e s p i t e the f a c t t h a t photos of the c h a p e l
d u r i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n and a f t e r , shown i n the same a r t i c l e ,
t r a d i c t i o n between the two.
suggest a con-
Le C o r b u s i e r h i m s e l f f l a u n t e d t h i s
c o n t r a d i c t i o n , to both " e x p l a i n and
apparent
amaze".^
The i s s u e s to which the Church addresses i t s e l f most d i r e c t l y i n
the f i r s t y e a r s of the c h a p e l ' s completion a r e those which concern the
12
a r t i s t and the d e f i n i t i o n to be g i v e n t o the term " s a c r e d " .
In most,
A
i f not a l l of the w r i t i n g of t h i s e a r l y p e r i o d , Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s
>seen as many t h i n g s : w i t n e s s to the courage of those r e s p o n s i b l e f o r
the h i r i n g of Le C o r b u s i e r ; as a brave step i n t o new
t u r a l theory; as the r e v i v i f i e d
realms of a r c h i t e c -
church; and as evidence, i n the modern
world, of a d i v i n e presence expressed i n human c r e a t i v i t y and
genius.
In commenting upon the a r c h i t e c t , the r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of the r e l i g i o u s
community take p a i n s to p o i n t out the a f f i n i t y between Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
sense of m o r a l i t y and s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y and t h e i r own.
sense of s p i r i t u a l i t y
i s a l s o emphasised;
Le C o r b u s i e r
h i s pronouncements of a
'new
sensibility'
found i n Vers une a r c h i t e c t u r e
thereby i m p l y i n g an e s s e n t i a l s i m i l a r i t y
(1923), a r e o f t e n
quoted,
between t h e s p i r i t u a l i t y i n -
tended by Le C o r b u s i e r and t h a t i n t e n d e d i n t h e o l o g i c a l
doctrine.
13
These comments and the r e a c t i o n to t h e b u i l d i n g suggest t h a t an
A
e x c i t i n g nexus between Le C o r b u s i e r and the Church e x i s t s xn N o t r e Dame-du-Haut perhaps comparable
t o t h a t c r e a t e d a t S t . Denis by Abbot
Suger o r a t S t . P e t e r ' s by M i c h e l a n g e l o .
4
CHAPTER 1
THE
CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE
COMMISSION OF LE CORBUSIER'S DESIGN
Immediately f o l l o w i n g World War
I I , the C a t h o l i c Church i n France
embarked upon a path of a r c h i t e c t u r a l r e j u v e n a t i o n
i t had
a l r e a d y attempted i n e c c l e s i a s t i c a l p a i n t i n g and
the two
World Wars.'''
The
new
i n p a r t from the need to c o n s t r u c t new
to changed urban p a t t e r n s .
2
to t h a t which
s c u l p t u r e between
focus on a r c h i t e c t u r e r e s u l t e d i n p a r t
from the n e c e s s i t y t o r e p l a c e or r e p a i r bomb and
and
equal
f i r e damaged churches
p a r i s h churches i n response
Such a b u i l d i n g program was
also
3
i n the modern w o r l d .
as a means to re-emphasise the Church's r e l e v a n c y
A s i m i l a r dual-purpose program had
envisioned
been developed s u c c e s s f u l l y i n
Ger-
4
many and
Switzerland
i n the l a t e
1920s and
1930s.
Past
achievements i n
e c c l e s i a s t i c a l a r c h i t e c t u r e , i n which the e n t i r e C h r i s t i a n t r a d i t i o n
represented,
were much w r i t t e n about i n many C a t h o l i c p e r i o d i c a l s b e g i n -
n i n g a f t e r World War
I."*
Church's u n i v e r s a l i s m and
s o c i a l , h i s t o r i c a l , and
Such w r i t i n g s presented
its ability
to e v o l v e
proof
of both
the
i n response to changing
e c c l e s i a s t i c a l pressures.
Forms r e p r e s e n t i n g
the v a r i o u s h i s t o r i c a l s t y l e s were i n t e r p r e t e d i n terms of t h e i r
t u a l pertinence.
In r e - e s t a b l i s h i n g the s o c i a l , r e l i g i o u s , and
m i l i e u x of the r e s p e c t i v e s t y l e s the r e l e v a n c y
a solid
was
of each was
Such examples were intended
t i o n f o r s i m i l a r concerns and
as i n s p i r a t i o n and
undertakings during
contexaesthetic
stressed
s o c i a l i n t e r p r e t i v e b a s i s f o r contemporary s t y l i s t i c
assured.
was
and
concerns
justifica-
the p e r i o d of N o t r e -
Dame-du-Haut 's c o n s t r u c t i o n .
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g the t r a d i t i o n a l and
conservative
tendencies
which
such h i s t o r i c a l concerns c o u l d and d i d provoke,^
French C a t h o l i c avant-garde
and
s o c i e t y and
in style.
i t a l s o allowed a
to emphasise the c o n n e c t i o n between s t y l e
to a s s e r t t h a t a change i n s o c i e t y should s i g n a l a change
T h i s supported t h e i r c l a i m s f o r a contemporary
T h i s avant-garde,
style.^
c o n s i s t i n g of a s m a l l group of e n l i g h t e n e d c l e r g y
a number of Dominican p r i e s t s , d i s s e m i n a t e d t h e i r i d e a s through
t i o n s such as L ' A r t Sacre, and d i r e c t l y encouraged
t e c t u r a l undertakings.
g
In a d d i t i o n , many f e l t
publica-
unconventional
t h a t clergymen
and
archi-
should
possess not o n l y l i t u r g i c a l knowledge but a r c h i t e c t u r a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g
as
9
well.
I t was
felt
t h a t an a e s t h e t i c a l l y e n l i g h t e n e d c l e r g y would
i n the best p o s i t i o n t o oversee e c c l e s i a s t i c a l a r t i s t i c
C l e a r l y , knowledge of church r i t u a l was
not s u f f i c i e n t .
be
projects.
For t h i s
pur-
pose s p e c i a l commissions were e s t a b l i s h e d i n many d i o c e s e s , an a c t i o n
t h a t was
acknowledged by the Pope as a n e c e s s a r y and b e n e f i c i a l
dure.^
One
proce-
such commission, the Besancon Commission f o r Sacred A r t ,
d i r e c t e d the p r o c e e d i n g s by means of which Le C o r b u s i e r ' s d e s i g n was i n A
11
v i t e d and l a t e r approved f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
Moreover, important
members of the commission c l e a r l y d i s t i n g u i s h e d themselves from e c c l e s i 12
a s t i c s of the Right and
identified
themselves
w i t h an
The Besancon Commission f o r Sacred A r t was
avant-garde.
composed of an
artisti-
c a l l y w e l l - i n f o r m e d e c c l e s i a s t i c a l and s o c i a l e l i t e : Archbishop
Dubourg,
Archbishop
of Besancon (and l a t e r r e p l a c i n g him Archbishop
Archbishop B e l o t , M a r c e l F e r r y , Canon Ledeur, who
the Commission, and Mr.
Mathey, who
was
Dubois),
a c t e d as s e c r e t a r y f o r
then D i r e c t o r of A r t s and
Decora-
13
tion i n Paris.
mitteeU
The p a r i s h i o n e r s of Ronchamp were r e p r e s e n t e d by a
headed by Mr.
com-
A l f r e d Canet, an i n d u s t r i a l i s t and t r e a s u r e r of
the Commission, and had among i t s members Abbe Bourdin, Cure of the
v i l l a g e , and
I t was
c h a p e l and
a lawyer from V e s o u l named Mr.
Carraud.
14
t h i s committee that would v o t e f i n a n c i a l a p p r o v a l f o r
endorse the n e c e s s a r y loans and
t o t a l the P a r i s h c o n t r i b u t e d
r e l i e d h e a v i l y on the war
t e c t employed by
The
However, i n
t h r e e m i l l i o n f r a n c s ^ and
indemnity a s s e s s e d by an
the government and
of R e c o n s t r u c t i o n . ^
mortgages.^
war
the p e r s o n a l
indemnity was
the
the
project
independent a r c h i -
e f f o r t s of the
a s s e s s e d a t 13.8
Minister
million
18
francs
i n 1951.
Although the indemnity d e c i s i o n d i d not have
d i r e c t bearing
on the
choice
of a r c h i t e c t or d e s i g n ,
s t r a i n t s i n terms of c a p i t a l and
and
bureaucratic
t a i n t y and
i t did place
the reuse of s a l v a g e a b l e
i n t e r v e n t i o n and
delays created
19
s u s p i c i o n about the p r o j e c t .
The
p r o j e c t s and
who
an atmosphere of u n c e r -
dependence on the
Unite
of Le C o r b u s i e r
i n d i r e c t way,
and
to s t i m u l a t e
private
Petit,
then
public
20
enterprise.
M a r s e i l l e s , which p r e v i o u s l y u n i t e d
i s an example of h i s e f f o r t s .
the French government and
a l s o p a t r o n s of the
The
Petit,
reknowned a r c h i t e c t s i n an e f f o r t to c o n v i n c e the
d'Habitation,
indem-
sought s t r i k i n g s e c u l a r a r c h i t e c t u r a l
of France's post-war r e c o v e r y and
The
re-
material,
n i t y a l s o accounted f o r the a c t i v e involvement of C l a u d i u s
M i n i s t e r of R e c o n s t r u c t i o n ,
any
the e f f o r t s
Thus, i n an
the people i t r e p r e s e n t e d were
chapel.
Besancon Commission f o r Sacred A r t , w i t h Canon Ledeur's
leadership,
had
p r e v i o u s l y been a c t i v e i n the promotion of modern a r t
21
and i t s use i n e x i s t i n g e c c l e s i a s t i c a l s t r u c t u r e s .
However, u n t i l
the Ronchamp Commission, i t s e f f o r t s had c o n c e n t r a t e d upon p a i n t i n g ,
22
s t a i n e d g l a s s , and
Up
to the
sculpture, rather
time of the
than a r c h i t e c t u r e .
Commission's work f o r the c h a p e l a t Ronchamp
(1947-1950) church b u i l d i n g committees had
customarily
employed
local
architects.
23
A
T h i s custom was f o l l o w e d a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut and a
24
l o c a l a r c h i t e c t d i d complete a d e s i g n f o r t h e s i t e .
for
H i s d e s i g n was
a r e c t a n g u l a r s t r u c t u r e w i t h a gabled r o o f , a square east end, and
a c e n t r a l tower i n t h e west facade
surmounted by a b e l l - t o w e r w i t h a
bulbous-shaped r o o f ; a church which i n shape, s i z e , and g e n e r a l massing
resembled t h e v e r n a c u l a r s t y l e of p a r i s h churches i n t h e French-Swiss
25
border
and
area.
Although
no dimensions were g i v e n , i t appears s m a l l e r
l e s s complex i n massing than t h e p r e v i o u s church
l a c k e d the l a t t e r ' s l a r g e e a s t e r n porch.
a t t h e s i t e , and
I t was r e j e c t e d by t h e p a r i s h
because of i t s i n s u f f i c i e n t accommodation of p i l g r i m a g e needs and l a c k
26
of
internal f l e x i b i l i t y .
I t was f o l l o w i n g t h e r e j e c t i o n o f t h i s
scheme t h a t t h e Commission f o r Sacred A r t a t Besancon i n v i t e d Le C o r b u s i e r
to
propose a replacement f o r the World War II-ravaged
church
still
rem-
nant upon i t s s t r a t e g i c h i g h p l a c e o v e r l o o k i n g t h e B a l l o n Gap and the
27
French-Swiss border.
The
Commission f i r s t
approached Le C o r b u s i e r i n t h e s p r i n g o f
28
1950.
"did
He r e f u s e d the i n v i t a t i o n t o p a r t i c i p a t e , i n s i s t i n g t h a t he
29
n o t d e s i g n churches".
He was a l s o concerned that the s i t e would
30
not be amenable to h i s c o n s t r u c t i o n methods.
However, due to the
p r e s c i e n t v i s i o n and c o n v i c t i o n o f Canon Ledeur, Le C o r b u s i e r was
u l t i m a t e l y secured
f o r the p r o j e c t .
A l e t t e r dated
t h a t Canon Ledeur's p e r s i s t e n c e ensured
C o r b u s i e r and h i s concern
about such an u n d e r t a k i n g :
On
to
t h e Church's acceptance of Le
assuaged any doubts Le C o r b u s i e r may have had
31
Le C o r b u s i e r consequently
20 May 1950 Le C o r b u s i e r made h i s f i r s t
He made many sketches
6 May 1950 r e v e a l s
of t h e d e s t r o y e d
the s i t e w i t h i t s r u i n s .
reconsidered.
visit
t o the s i t e .
church which r e c o r d h i s response
The sketches
r e v e a l an i n t e r e s t
i n the
prominent
s i t i n g of the former church and a s e n s i t i v e concern f o r the
32
r e c o r d i n g of i t s most s a l i e n t f e a t u r e s .
may
I t was
t h i s response which
have subsequently worked upon h i s i m a g i n a t i o n .
to have changed h i s mind about
t r x•p .
3
3
He was
a c c e p t i n g the commission
later
because
alleged
of t h i s
An i m p r e s s i v e g a t h e r i n g of d i g n i t a r i e s awaited Le C o r b u s i e r ' s p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the r e b u i l d i n g of the s h r i n e .
In a d d i t i o n t o the Besancon
Commission f o r Sacred A r t , C l a u d i u s P e t i t , Mr.
J a r d o t , D i r e c t o r of the
Photographic A r c h i v e s i n P a r i s , Pere Regamey, and Pere C o u t u r i e r were a l s o
i n v o li v e dA .
In
3
4
the months t h a t f o l l o w e d a new
the e a r l i e r s i t e drawings
tion.
l e d to a f u l l
The r e s u l t i n g maquette was
first
s e r i e s of sketches premised
upon
three-dimensional conceptualizaseen by the members of the
Com-
35
m i s s i o n i n September, 1950.
P r i o r to t h i s o f f i c i a l u n v e i l i n g , Marcel
F e r r y and Abbe B o l l e - R e d d a t , l a t e r t o become r e s i d e n t p r i e s t
a t Notre-Dame-
du-Haut, and Mr. Mathey had seen the maquettes a t Le C o r b u s i e r ' s Rue
de
36
Sevres s t u d i o .
By t h i s time t h e r e were two maquettes, one of cardboard
i n d i c a t i n g i t s e x t e r i o r a s p e c t s and one of w i r e rods demonstrating
the
37
s t r u c t u r a l system.
models of the proposed
In November, 1951,
Archbishop Dubourg viewed
the
c h a p e l which e e l i c i t e d h i s s u r p r i s e and acknow-
ledgement of p o s s i b l e c o n t r o v e r s y .
He r e p o r t e d l y exclaimed:
"Eh b i e n ,
/
38
qu'est-ce q u ' i l s vont d i r e , mes v i c a r e s generaux".
Notwithstanding h i s
s u r p r i s e , the a r c h b i s h o p gave a u t h o r i t a t i v e s a n c t i o n t o the d e s i g n . I t
39
was then approved by the Besancon Commission i n January, 1951.
However,
40
d i s c u s s i o n c o n t i n u e d and a c t u a l c o n s t r u c t i o n was d e l a y e d .
In the i n t e r i m
the maquette was
p u b l i c a l l y d i s p l a y e d and debated w h i l e a number of
aging l e t t e r s passed between Le C o r b u s i e r and Canon Ledeur.
41
Two
encourproblems
had
to be d e a l t w i t h : the arrangement of f i n a n c e s and
the guarantee of
42
complete a r t i s t i c
freedom f o r Le C o r b u s i e r .
During
the p u b l i c d i s -
c u s s i o n t h a t f o l l o w e d the Besancon Commission's acceptance i n January,
and w h i l e correspondence passed between Canon Ledeur and Le
Corbusier,
some s t r u c t u r a l and minor c o m p o s i t i o n a l changes were made by Le
but at no
Corbusier,
time was
h i s c o n c e p t i o n f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut s e r i o u s l y c r i 43
t i c i s e d by the p a r i s h i o n e r s .
By popular v o t e , the f i n a n c e s were
approved by the p a r i s h i n May,
44
1953.
1952.
C o n s t r u c t i o n began i n the s p r i n g of
10
CHAPTER I I
THE
PHILOSOPHICAL AND
THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND TO
COMMISSION OF
I t i s the p r o p o s a l
THE
A
NOTRE-DAME-DU-HAUT
of t h i s t h e s i s t h a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut at
Ronchamp, f a r from b e i n g an anomaly r e s u l t i n g from a c a p r i c i o u s
a r b i t r a r y approach to form, was
guard, yet w e l l - c o n s i d e r e d ,
that t h i s t h i n k i n g was
We
can
a c t u a l l y a d i r e c t r e f l e c t i o n of van-
attitudes i n e c c l e s i a s t i c a l thinking
c a r e f u l l y i n t e r p r e t e d and
Roman C a t h o l i c Church from f o u r major s o u r c e s :
movement", o f f i c i a l e n c y c l i c a l s and
Regamey and
Corbusier.
c e n t u r y ideas
the c u r r e n t
of
the
"liturgical
d i r e c t i v e s , s p e c i a l i z e d and
popular
prominent French p r i e s t s such as Pere C o u t u r i e r ,
Canon Ledeur.
stances of the
and
expressed by Le
g a i n s i g n i f i c a n t i n s i g h t i n t o the t w e n t i e t h
l i t e r a t u r e , and
and
Pere
From these sources the p h i l o s o p h i c a l c i r c u m -
commission f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut may
be a s c e r t a i n e d
and
t h e i r r o l e i n the c r e a t i o n of the c h a p e l suggested.
The
current
" l i t u r g i c a l movement" w i t h i n the Roman C a t h o l i c
Church, which began i n France i n the middle of the n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y ,
was
a powerful rejuvenating
i t s aim
f o r c e w i t h i n an o r g a n i z a t i o n which saw
the a c t i v e , i n t e l l i g e n t , and
people i n the
f r u i t f u l p a r t i c i p a t i o n of
l i t u r g y of the Church.'''
r i c h n e s s , beauty, and
communical c h a r a c t e r
t e x t s which i t prompted had
on a c t u a l p r a c t i c e and
The
i n t e r e s t i n the
the
growing awareness of
the
of l i t u r g i c a l p r a y e r s
diverse ramifications.
I t l e d to an
s p i r i t u a l l i f e of the
as
and
emphasis
faithful
2
and
hence to p a s t o r a l and
ment f l o u r i s h e d f i r s t
s c h o l a s t i c p u r s u i t s by
the c l e r g y .
The
move-
at Solesmes, France, then at St. A n d r e - l e z - B r u g e s ,
11
Belgium and f i n a l l y a t M a r i a Laach, Germany and K l o s t e r n e u b e r g , A u s t r i a .
I t was f i r s t g i v e n o f f i c i a l r e c o g n i t i o n w i t h t h e d i r e c t i v e s of Pope
P i u s X who s i m p l i f i e d and began p a r t i a l r e f o r m s of t h e l i t u r g y .
Essen-
t i a l l y , t h e aim was t o g i v e t h e l i t u r g y r e l e v a n c e t o contemporary
b i l i t y , and t o c r e a t e s i n c e r e e x t e r i o r and i n t e r i o r l i t u r g i c a l
pation.
partici-
The sense of community t o be a p p r e c i a t e d i n t h e Mass was a l s o
stressed.
the
sensi-
Most i m p o r t a n t was t h e b e l i e f t h a t a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n
s a c r e d mystery and i n t h e solemn p r a y e r of t h e Church was t h e f i r s t
3
and i n d i s p e n s a b l e s o u r c e of t h e t r u e C h r i s t i a n s p i r i t .
The l i t u r g i c a l movement caused a number of v e r y t a n g i b l e
I t emphasised
complete c o n s c i o u s n e s s o f t h e i m p l i c a t i o n s o f r i t u a l and
hence i n t e l l e c t u a l involvement and e d u c a t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s .
the
changes.
I t prompted
f i r s t p u b l i c a t i o n o f m i s s a l s i n t h e v e r n a c u l a r and t h e s i m p l i f i c a 4
t i o n of r i t e s .
Numerous c o n f e r e n c e s and p u b l i c a t i o n s a l s o o c c u r r e d :
Dom Beauduin's " I I f a u d r o i t d e m o c r a t i s e r l a l i t u r g i e "
(1909), Herwegen's
Des K u n s t p r i n z i p der L i t u r g i e (1920), Pope P i u s X's T r a l e s o l l e c i t u d i n i
(1903), and Germany's R i c h t l i n i e n f u r d i e G e t a l t u n g des Gotteshauses
aus dem G e i s t e d e r romischen L i t u r g i e (1944).
i t s Centre de P a s t o r a l e l i t u r i q u e . ^
I n 1943 France e s t a b l i s h e d
Finally, significant
recognition
was g i v e n t o t h e e f f o r t s of t h e l i t u r g i c a l movement by Pope P i u s X I I i n
h i s M e d i a t o r D e i of 1947.
The l i t u r g i c a l movement s u p p o r t e d a p h i l o s o p h y m o t i v a t e d by a
liberal
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f Roman C a t h o l i c dogma w i t h an emphasis
more human, communal, and communicative a s p e c t s .
Although
on i t s
liturgical
r e v i t a l i z a t i o n was i n i t i a t e d a t Solesmes, F r a n c e ' s r o l e was t o remain
m a r g i n a l u n t i l a f t e r World War I I a t w h i c h t i m e i t became a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h Germany as t h e avant-garde of t h e movement.^
Furthermore, France
was
then r e c o g n i s e d f o r i t s unprecedented
experimentation i n various
means of f o s t e r i n g communal p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the l i t u r g y , and
the
num-
g
ber of e p i s c o p a t e s i n f a v o u r of the movement.
A number of these
develop-
ments based upon l i t u r g i c a l r e f o r m had d i r e c t r e p e r c u s s i o n s i n church
c o n s t r u c t i o n d u r i n g the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y .
The f i r s t
evidence of the
e f f e c t of l i t u r g i c a l r e a p p r a i s a l on a r c h i t e c t u r e o c c u r r e d i n 1913
9
M a r i a Laach, Germany.
met
Here church members p r o p o s i n g a r e v i s e d
o t h e r members p r o p o s i n g a new
n i z e d t h e i r common concerns.
g o a l a new
approach
liturgy
t o church d e s i g n and
recog-
From t h a t date church d e s i g n had as i t s
form t h a t would respond
g i v e n t o the l i t u r g y .
at
to the v a r y i n g and new
conceptions
In Germany e s p e c i a l l y , p r i o r to World War
I I , new
s p a t i a l arrangements having l i t u r g i c a l symbolic s i g n i f i c a n c e i n p l a n
configuration developed.^
symbolism i n The Church
Rudolf Schwartz, who
Incarnate
(1938) was
c o d i f i e d h i s new
space
the major f i g u r e i n t h i s
development.^ ^
In
France the l i t u r g i c a l movement was
expressed
i n a r t forms such
as p a i n t i n g , s c u l p t u r e , and d e c o r a t i o n more d i r e c t l y than i n a r c h i t e c t u r a l planning.
Many :,iri> the French Church
porary e c c l e s i a s t i c a l a e s t h e t i c .
l'art
of
s a c r e (1913),
a g i t a t e d f o r a more contem-
F o l l o w i n g C i n g r i a ' s La Decadence de
Maurice Denis, w i t h D e s v a i l l i e r s , opened a s t u d i o
s a c r e d a r t which sought
t o i n v e s t a r t w i t h v i g o u r and
a r t i s t s w i t h a contemporary sense of brotherhood
13
t h a t of the M i d d l e Ages.
T h i s was
Munier's
Art
Une
and p i e t y comparable t o
supplemented by Denis' N o u v e l l e s
t h e o r i e s sur l ' a r t moderne, sur l ' a r t
lowed by M.
s a c r e (1914-1921) which was
B r i l l a n t ' s L ' A r t c h r e t i e n en France du XXe
E g l i s e N o u v e l l e au XXe
et cathoLtcisme
(1948).
to i n s p i r e
Siecle
Siecle
fol-
(1927),
(1932), and Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s
A l l the major r e l i g i o u s
commentators
concurred that contemporary
s a c r e d a r t i n a d e q u a t e l y r e p r e s e n t e d contem-
p o r a r y t h e o l o g i c a l and p h i l o s o p h i c a l i d e a l s .
Munier, who
was
With the e x c e p t i o n of
documented churches r a t h e r than c r i t i q u e d
them, a r c h i t e c t u r e
g i v e n l i t t l e a t t e n t i o n i n the quest f o r modern, l i t u r g i c a l l y
s i v e a r t forms.
Although Germany had a v e r y d i r e c t e d program f o r f i n d i n g
a r c h i t e c t u r a l ways of e x p r e s s i n g the new
not.
respon-
Although much post-EWorld War
l i t u r g i c a l concepts, France d i d
I r e b u i l d i n g was
c a r r i e d out and
the
14
officially
official
1952.
s u p e r v i s e d C h a n t i e r s du C a r d i n a l b u i l t much,
statements, or e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n w i t h new
no
directives,
forms appeared
until
15
With i n c r e a s i n g frequency one begins t o see open spaces, an
em-
p h a s i s on a c e n t r a l space, the e l i m i n a t i o n of i n t e r i o r encumbrances, and
a growing p o p u l a r i t y i n neo-Byzantine
i n g these a t t r i b u t e s . ^
churches c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y
A l s o n o t i c e a b l e was
church b u i l d e r s t o a c c e p t new
possess-
the w i l l i n g n e s s of the French
m a t e r i a l s , modern a r t forms, and c o n s t r u c -
t i o n a l systems t h a t began t o a s s o c i a t e modernity w i t h the Roman C a t h o l i c
Church.
However, these a s p e c t s of church a r c h i t e c t u r e do not appear
have been d i r e c t l y i n s t i g a t e d by a c o n s c i o u s c o r r e l a t i o n w i t h t h e
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n d e v e l o p i n g f o r the l i t u r g y a t t h a t time.
there i s no reason t o suggest t h a t Notre-Dame-du-Raincy
a p p l i c a t i o n of l i t u r g i c a l
I I , was
i n any way
new
For i n s t a n c e ,
(Perret,
most o f t e n c i t e d as the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y accomplishment
a r c h i t e c t u r e p r i o r to World War
to
1923),
i n French
Church
designed as a c o n s c i o u s
reform.^
In o t h e r ways France c o n t i n u e d to encourage
the new
c o n s c i o u s and l i b e r a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the l i t u r g y .
community-
At the same time,
the mood i n France a l l o w e d f o r r e g i o n a l v a r i a t i o n s and advocated r e s p e c t
18
f o r v e r n a c u l a r and n a t i o n a l b u i l d i n g s t y l e s .
I n c r e a s i n g l y , economic
r e s t r a i n t s placed
upon p r o j e c t s had c o n t r i b u t e d
posed c o n c r e t e , a r e d u c t i o n
to a g r e a t e r
use o f ex-
of ornamentation, and l e s s f r e q u e n t use of
p r e c i o u s and c o s t l y t r a d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s .
The French Roman
Catholic
Church r a t i o n a l i z e d t h i s tendency by a s s o c i a t i n g such e c o n o m i c a l l y m o t i v a t e d measures w i t h the s p i r i t u a l q u a l i t i e s of p o v e r t y , s i m p l i c i t y , and
honesty.(makingj-virtue o f . n e c e s s i t y ) . .
Similar s p i r i t u a l q u a l i t i e s i n -
formed the Worker P r i e s t movement, a French experiment which sent Dominican monks t o work as common f a c t o r y l a b o u r e r s
i n an attempt t o d e s t r o y
the b a r r i e r s between t h e c l e r g y and t h e f a i t h f u l .
19
In 1947 Pope P i u s X I I i s s u e d M e d i a t o r D e i , an important e n c y c l i 20
cal
o f t h e post-World War I I e r a .
I t gave o f f i c i a l
sanction
to the
aims and some of t h e r e s u l t s of t h e l i t u r g i c a l movement, i n c l u d i n g a
number of i t s a e s t h e t i c
ideals.
Thus, i n t h e v e r y year t h a t t h e p a r i s h
A
of Notre-Dame-du-Haut became concerned w i t h b u i l d i n g a church, Pope P i u s
XII
encouraged such u n d e r t a k i n g s w i t h o f f i c i a l s a n c t i o n s f o r church
building.
and
Not only
architecture
d i d t h e Pope endorse t h e encouragement of good a r t
i n church b u i l d i n g , but he a l s o approved the use o f some
21
modern s t y l e s o f a r t .
Mediator D e i o f 1947 supported a f u n c t i o n a l i s t approach t o space
where each f u n c t i o n
found e x p r e s s i o n i n t h e s t r u c t u r e .
A h i e r a r c h y of
s p a t i a l arrangement was a l s o recommended but by t h e s p a t i a l i n t e g r a t i o n
of w e l l d e f i n e d
areas eschewing a b s o l u t e s e p a r a t i o n .
Certain q u a l i t i e s
of space and b u i l d i n g f a b r i c were a l s o suggested and t h e v a r i e t i e s o f
22
human responses needing a r c h i t e c t u r a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n
were i n d i c a t e d .
i t a t i v e space as a p h i l o s o p h i c a l need and t h e r e f o r e
consideration
was g i v e n g r e a t
Med-
as an a r c h i t e c t u r a l
emphasis.
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h i s r a t i o n a l approach, t h e Pope a l s o acknowledged
15
the
importance of the
sensual
a s p e c t s of r e l i g i o u s e x p e r i e n c e , " f o r
every impulse of the human heart
expresses i t s e l f
through the
Moreover, Pope P i u s XII a t t r i b u t e d many a s p e c t s of the
senses".
23
l i t u r g y to d e v e l o p -
24
ments i n the f i n e a r t s .
c a t i v e and
Mediator D e i emphasised the n e c e s s a r y communi-
i n t e g r a l r o l e which the
l i f e of the
faithful.
C a t h o l i c Church was
f i n e a r t s played
C l e a r l y , i n 1947
i n the
the h i g h e s t
spiritual
authority
i n the
i n t e r e s t e d i n a e s t h e t i c s , f u n c t i o n , modernity,
the humanist t r a d i t i o n w i t h r e g a r d
to man's c o n t r i b u t i o n to church
Many of the a r c h i t e c t u r a l s u g g e s t i o n s made i n M e d i a t o r D e i
fulfilled
by Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
conceived space was
was
usual p r a c t i c e s .
p a r t of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
The
importance to Le C o r b u s i e r
The
t h a t he
be
of space which
than a s e r i e s of spaces w e l l
need f o r m e d i t a t i v e space was
included
could
architecture.
a l s o advocated a h i e r a r c h i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n
defined with enclosing walls.
ritual.
concept of f u n c t i o n a l l y
25
t h e o r y of
i n t e g r a t e d w i t h i n a s i n g l e volume r a t h e r
and
of
such
such areas w i t h i n h i s domes-
26
t i c buildings./
Although Le C o r b u s i e r
emphasised i n t e l l e c t u a l
ment as c e n t r a l to a r c h i t e c t u r e , he d i d not
H i s c o n s c i o u s n e s s of " p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l "
psychological
response to s t i m u l i ) and
was
also recognized
communal b e n e f i t of urban and
responses
for p l a s t i c i t y
(kinesthetic
indicate
daycare c e n t r e s ,
r u r a l l a n d , a i r , and
h i s p r o j e c t s f o r a "Radiant C i t y " were w e l l known i n 1950.
work thus c o i n c i d e d w i t h a pronounced i n t e r e s t by
and
parishioners
i n the
and
27
this.
Schemes
plans f o r
greenery,
Le
and
Corbusier's
church a u t h o r i t i e s
s o c i a l r o l e of the church as r e f l e c t e d i n
expanded view of the p a r i s h church b u i l d i n g as one
complex of f u n c t i o n s :
aspects.
f o r h i s s o c i a l concerns.
f o r worker's houses, apartments p r o v i d i n g
assuring
deny i t s s e n s u a l
involve-
the
which should i n c l u d e
meeting rooms, s p o r t s a r e a s , daycare
facilities,
a
16
classrooms, and s i t e p l a n n i n g r e s p o n s i v e t o suburban c o n t e x t s . 28
More-
over, some r e l i g i o u s l i t e r a t u r e p r e s e n t i n g t h i s v i e w p o i n t c i t e d Le
29
Corbusier f o r t h e o r e t i c a l
support.
The v e r y p r e s s i n g t h e o l o g i c a l problem
of accommodating the i n d i v i -
d u a l as "a stone of the c h u r c h " w i t h i n the l a r g e r i d e n t i t y of the church
" e d i f i c e " was i m p l i c i t
i n many of the comments made w i t h r e g a r d t o space
30
i n Mediator D e i .
The r e l a t i o n s h i p of the i n d i v i d u a l to the community
was a l s o a c e n t r a l p h i l o s o p h i c a l and d e s i g n problem
expressed by Le
C o r b u s i e r which can be seen as a s e c u l a r c o u n t e r p a r t t o the Church's
problem
of a s s u r i n g the l a i t y ' s r o l e i n the l i t u r g y .
No d i r e c t r e l a t i o n s h i p between the d i r e c t i v e s i n Mediator D e i and
the p h i l o s o p h y of Le C o r b u s i e r can be e x p l i c i t l y s t a t e d .
i n g accords i n g e n e r a l o u t l o o k suggest
t h a t a common meeting
e x i s t e d where both Le C o r b u s i e r and the C a t h o l i c Church
cooperate.
However, s t r i k - .
ground
could p r o d u c t i v e l y
I t i s l i k e l y t h a t a r e a l i z a t i o n of these concurrences were
31
important
i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s c o n s i d e r a t i o n of the commission.
S p e c i a l i z e d and g e n e r a l p u b l i c a t i o n s a l s o impressed
f u l the importance
of a r c h i t e c t u r e and a r t i n f u l f i l l i n g
ments t o t h e f a i t h .
In 1946
upon t h e f a i t h their
commit-
t h r e e s p e c i a l i s s u e s of L ' A r t Sacre f o c u s s e d
32
on the problem
In 1947
and m e r i t s of d e s i g n i n g and r e b u i l d i n g p a r i s h
churches.
Germany p u b l i s h e d i t s D i r e c t i v e s f o r church b u i l d i n g which were
to remain r e l e v a n t as l a t e as 1954
when they were adopted
i n North
America
33
by a conference h e l d i n W i s c o n s i n .
V a r i o u s i s s u e s s u r r o u n d i n g the con-
s t r u c t i o n of churches - s o c i a l , t h e o l o g i c a l , and l i t u r g i c a l - were i n c r e a s i n g l y prominent
f e a t u r e s i n r e l i g i o u s p e r i o d i c a l s and were o f t e n d i s c u s s e d
i n French newspapers.
The newspaper Le Monde f r e q u e n t l y and p r o m i n e n t l y
f e a t u r e d r e p o r t s on t h e l a t e s t a r c h i t e c t u r a l u n d e r t a k i n g s of the French
C a t h o l i c Church, thus u n d e r l i n i n g the Church's endeavours as
being
34
both t o p i c a l and
important.
Pere C o u t u r i e r , Pere Regamey, and
t i c a l l y and
r e l i g i o u s l y relevant viewpoints
consequences on Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
who
Canon Ledeur d i s s e m i n a t e d
endeavoured to r e j u v e n a t e
about a r t which were to have
Pere C o u t u r i e r was
a Dominican monk
the French Roman C a t h o l i c Church by
35
i n c o r p o r a t i o n of modern a r t i n r e l i g i o u s e s t a b l i s h m e n t s .
he wrote t h r e e books:
Garder
M.
aesthe-
Chroniques
the
To t h a t
end
(1946), A r t et c a t h o l i c i s m e (1948), Se
L i b r e (1962), as w e l l as a monograph on a M o n t r e a l a r c h i t e c t
Perizeau
(1945), and
a number of a r t i c l e s which were p u b l i s h e d i n
36
France, the U n i t e d S t a t e s , and Canada.
Most s i g n i f i c a n t was h i s co/
37
e d i t o r s h i p of L ' A r t Sacre which began i n 1937.
T h i s and other j o u r n a l s
became convenient media through which he proclaimed h i s f a r - r e a c h i n g
38
p o l i c y of "aux
grands homines l e s grandes choses".
p e r s o n a l l y i n v o l v e d i n the f i n e a r t s .
as a p a i n t e r , s t u d y i n g at the s c h o o l of Denis and D e s v a i l l i e r e s
39
taking orders
i n 1925.
s u i t which i n v o l v e d him
He
He
began
before
l a t e r s p e c i a l i z e d i n s t a i n e d g l a s s , a pur-
i n his f i r s t
controversial a r t i s t i c
endeavour
40
i n 1938.
He wrote h i s f i r s t and o n l y a r t i c l e t h a t was o s t e n s i b l y
A
41
focussed on a r c h i t e c t u r e p r i o r to Notre-Dame-du-Haut i n 1938.
This
was concerned almost e n t i r e l y w i t h d e c o r a t i o n .
In h i s l a t e r w r i t i n g s on
the c o n t r o v e r s i a l p r o j e c t s at Assy
(1938-1950), Audincourt
(1950-1952),
42
and
Vence (1948-1950) he d i d not
concern h i m s e l f w i t h a r c h i t e c t u r e .
However, h i s employment of non-Roman C a t h o l i c a r t i s t s ,
t i c Bonnard and
the communists L u r c a t and
l i s h e d a precedent f o r Le C o r b u s i e r ,
43
Dame-du-Haut.
such as the agnos-
Leger at A u d i n c o u r t ,
estab-
l i k e w i s e a n o n - c a t h o l i c , at N o t r e -
18
The
Corbusier
first
documented encounter between P^re C o u t u r i e r and Le
occurred
i n 1925 when both were i n v o l v e d i n t h e Union des
A r t i s t e s Modernes.
I n t e r m i t t e n t meetings between t h e two f o l l o w e d and
\
were recorded
.
44
i n Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s d i a r y o f 1947-1954.
A l s o , both were
45
i n v o l v e d i n an e x t r a o r d i n a r y church p r o j e c t a t Sainte-Baume i n 1947.
L a t e r Pe*re C o u t u r i e r was t o r e f e r t o Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
optimistic social
46
g o a l s which were o f t e n repeated
i n t h e pages of L ' A r t Sacr£.
During
the c o n s t r u c t i o n o f Notre-Dame-du-Haut i n 1953 t h e p r i e s t was i n t i m a t e l y
i n v o l v e d w i t h Le C o r b u s i e r
i n t h e d e s i g n i n g o f t h e monastery o f S a i n t e -
47
Marie-de-la-Tourette.
At t h i s time t h e p r i e s t a p p a r e n t l y i n s t r u c t e d
48
x
i n much Roman C a t h o l i c p h i l o s o p h y .
I n 1953 Pere C o u t u r i e r
wrote an a r t i c l e on Notre-Dame-du-Haut f o r L ' A r t Sacre t h a t was t o become the b a s i s f o r much of t h e t e x t o f the Forces V i v r e s p u b l i c a t i o n
Le L i v r e de Ronchamp (1961) which was l a t e r p u b l i s h e d under the d i r e c t i o n
49
of Le C o r b u s i e r .
The
1953 a r t i c l e i s t h e f i r s t
C o u t u r i e r had w i t h t h e c h a p e l .
known d i r e c t
c o n t a c t t h a t Pere
However, t h e r e was p r i v a t e
correspon-
dence between Le C o r b u s i e r and Pere C o u t u r i e r thoughout the p r o j e c t and
i t was Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
f e a r of unwanted p u b l i c i t y w i t h
i t s possibility
of j e o p a r d i z i n g t h e commission which d e t e r r e d the p r i e s t
public participation."^
his
from a c t i v e
I t i s l i k e l y t h a t i n an i n d i r e c t way, through
use of modern and o f t e n n o n - c a t h o l i c a r t i s t s , and d i r e c t l y by comments
made p r i v a t e l y t o Le C o r b u s i e r , he i n f l u e n c e d the events as they
devel-
oped a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s a c t i o n s and h i s p o l i c y o f u s i n g
a r t i s t s r a i s e d fundamental q u e s t i o n s
nature
non-catholic
about t h e c r e a t i v e a c t and t h e
of d i v i n e i n s p i r a t i o n f o r which he was t o s u f f e r heavy
criticism
from Rome and from prominent Church figures."''''
He a l s o endured
the cen-
sure brought a g a i n s t t h e Dominican Order f o r t h e i r s o c i a l aims,
particu-
52
larly
the Worker's P r i e s t Movement.
The importance of h i s involvement i n modern a r t t o the commission of
Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s t w o f o l d .
First,
Pere C o u t u r i e r p r e s e n t e d an accep-
t a b l e precedent f o r t h e s u c c e s s f u l p a r t i c i p a t i o n between the Church and
53
modern a r t i s t s .
Secondly, he was a p e r s o n a l i t y ,
"un brave type",
w i t h whom Le C o r b u s i e r shared many o b j e c t i v e s - s o c i a l , a r t i s t i c , and
personal.
Indeed, t h e a r c h i t e c t had r e c e i v e d P a p a l d i s a p p r o v a l w i t h Pere
C o u t u r i e r and t h e Dominicans because of h i s involvement a t Sainte-Baume
54
and c o u l d t h e r e f o r e e a s i l y i d e n t i f y w i t h the much-berated
The commission
Dominicans.
thus a l l o w e d Le C o r b u s i e r t o a l i g n h i m s e l f w i t h a c u l t u r a l -
l y and a r t i s t i c a l l y
r e l e v a n t avant-garde.
C h a r l e s Jencks, i n Le C o r b u s i e r :
A T r a g i c View o f A r c h i t e c t u r e , p o i n t s out t h a t such a c r u s a d i n g s t a n c e
was an important p a r t of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s c h a r a c t e r . T h a t Le C o r b u s i e r
i n t e r p r e t e d the Notre-Dame-du-Haut commission
i n such terms i s e v i d e n t i n
56
s e v e r a l l e t t e r s w r i t t e n t o o t h e r s i n v o l v e d i n the p r o j e c t .
the
Therefore,
c o n t r o v e r s i a l and urgent p r o p o s a l e n t a i l e d i n t h e commission,
partly
r e s u l t i n g from Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s past a c t i o n s , may have i n f l u e n c e d Le
C o r b u s i e r ' s enthusiasm f o r t h e p r o j e c t .
The importance of Pere Regamey to t h e commission
of Notre-Dame-du-
Haut i s i n t i m a t e d i n t h e f i n a l pages of The Chapel a t Ronchamp
a p u b l i c a t i o n d i r e c t e d by Le C o r b u s i e r .
(1957),
He was among those men t o whom
Le C o r b u s i e r p a i d s p e c i a l t r i b u t e f o r the p a r t they p l a y e d i n t h e r e a l i z a t i o n of t h e c h a p e l . " ^
Many r e f e r e n t i a l statements t o Pere Regamey e x i s t
58
i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s correspondence throughout the u n d e r t a k i n g .
Pere Regamey began h i s involvement i n t h e a r t s w i t h h i s e d u c a t i o n
20
at
/
59
L E c o l e du Louvre i n 1900.
s e c u l a r realm:
Hisartistic
i n t e r e s t s continued
from 1926 t o 1928 he was t h e a t t a c h e
i n the
t o t h e department
of p a i n t i n g a t t h e Louvre, where he worked i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h P a u l Jamot.
He became a prominent advocate of r e l i g i o u s and a e s t h e t i c reform
when he became c o - e d i t o r of L ' A r t
Sacre w i t h Pere C o u t u r i e r .
i n 1937
They were
60
former students
o f t h e same seminary.
His f i r s t
La Q u e r r e l l e des V i t r a u x , dated from 1937.*^
known combative
article,
I t was a defense of t h e
modern s t y l e of Pere Couturier,'s s t a i n e d g l a s s a d d i t i o n s t o Notre-Dame-deP a r i s i n which he i n t r o d u c e d
contemporary a r t i s t i c
i s s u e s and answered
c r i t i c i s m s w i t h t h e o l o g i c a l j u s t i f i c a t i o n s and a e s t h e t i c
explanations.
H i s s t a t e d aim f o r L ' A r t
Sacre was t o make i t a s t r i d e n t v o i c e
62
a g a i n s t m e d i o c r i t y , " k i t s c h " , h i s t o r i c i s m , arid c o n v e n t i o n .
He was a l s o
c r i t i c a l o f p i o u s obeisance, c h a r a c t e r i z i n g i t as s e n t i m e n t a l ,
unexalted,
and
t o t a l l y unrelated
declared
t o the r e a l i t i e s o f modern s e n s i b i l i t i e s .
f a i t h a poor excuse f o r 'bad'
63
He
a r t and wrote d i s p a r a g i n g l y o f c o n 64
temporary r e l i g i o u s a r t i s t s and a r c h i t e c t s .
Throughout t h e 1940s and
1950s he r e i t e r a t e d these unorthodox views i n t h e pages o f L ' A r t
Sacr£ as
w e l l as La V i e I n t e l l e c t u e l l e , P a r t i s a n Review, La C r o i x , and Recherches
et
debats.
I n a d d i t i o n , he gained
some i n t e r n a t i o n a l reknown w i t h
articles
t h a t appeared i n L i t u r g i c a l A r t s and t h e J o u r n a l o f A r t s and L e t t e r s . ^
In 1945 Pere Regamey was a member of t h e C o n s e i l A r t i s t i q u e des
Musees de France and from t h i s time h i s e f f o r t s t o b r i n g about a r e n a i s sance i n t h e s a c r e d a r t s i n t e n s i f i e d .
were d e d i c a t e d
to t h e q u e s t i o n
marked an important departure
I n 1946 t h r e e i s s u e s of L ' A r t
of contemporary church a r c h i t e c t u r e .
f o r Pere Regamey and Pere C o u t u r i e r :
Sacre
This
archi-
t e c t u r e became a p a r t of t h e i r a p o s t o l i c a s p i r a t i o n s f o r a renewed r e l i g i o u s
art.
I t was a t t h i s time t h a t Pere Regamey f i r s t
included a r c h i t e c t s i n
21
P e r e C o u t u r i e r ' s p r o p o s a l "aux grands homes, l e s grandes
choses".
Pere Regamey c o n t i n u e d the a p p l i c a t i o n of L ' A r t Sacre's
renovation
program to a r c h i t e c t u r e when he spoke b e f o r e the Congress f o r the Recon66
s t r u c t i o n of Churches a t a symposium h e l d a t Rotterdam i n 1948.
the same year he supported
In
the c o n t r o v e r s i a l Sainte-Baume p r o j e c t and
thereby a c q u i r e d a r e p u t a t i o n as a r a d i c a l among c l e r i c s and l a i t y .
was a l s o i n 1948
It
t h a t h i s prominence w i t h i n the s e c u l a r a r c h i t e c t u r a l
community began.
P a u l Vago, e d i t o r of L ' A r c h i t e c u r e d ' A u j o u r d ' h u i ,
t h u s i a s t i c a l l y supported
p r e s e n t e d and
en-
P e r e Regamey's i d e a s i n the October i s s u e , 1 9 4 8 . ^
In the f o l l o w i n g y e a r Pere Regamey was
f e a t u r e d among the new
patrons
t h u s , by i n f e r e n c e , shared i n the aim of t h e j o u r n a l , w h i c h was
and
"to o r i e n t
68
one's f o r c e s t o the f u t u r e o f an a r c h i t e c t u r e d e s e r v i n g of modern t i m e " .
" W e l l known among t h e b e s t a r c h i t e c t s , " Pere Regamey was
p i c t u r e d as a
c o n f r e r e s h a r i n g i n s i m i l a r g e n e r a l a s p i r a t i o n s f o r a r c h i t e c t u r e expounded
69
by Niemeyer, S e r t , G i e d i o n , Le C o r b u s i e r , and A a l t o .
Vago's i n t e r e s t
served t o p r o p e l Pere Regamey and h i s endeavours f o r a modern c h u r c h
b u i l d i n g i n t o the c o n s c i o u s n e s s
for
a modern a r c h i t e c t u r e .
of the a r c h i t e c t s who
were a l s o c r u s a d i n g
I n an a r t i c l e i n L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e
d'Aujourd'hui,
Vago a s s u r e d h i s r e a d e r s t h a t church a r c h i t e c t u r e had i t s p l a c e among
the b u i l d i n g types worthy of the modern a r c h i t e c t ' s
In
concern.^
1952 P e r e Regamey p u b l i s h e d L ' A r t Sacre au XXe
dium of h i s p r e v i o u s l y p u b l i s h e d major t h e m e s . ^
S i e c l e , a compen-
This i s a
convenient
source from w h i c h Pere Regamey's e x p e c t a t i o n s about t h e a c t u a l appearance
of a t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y
church may
be e x t r a p o l a t e d .
Pere Regamey emphasised t h a t the c o n t r o v e r s i a l churches a t A s s y ,
A u d i n c o u r t , and Vence " j u s t express a c o n v i c t i o n t h a t o n l y the b e s t
will
22
do...", they a r e not to be understood as p r o t o t y p e s .
Raincy he s t a t e d t h a t i t was
72
A
Of Notre-Dame-du-
" o n l y one p o s s i b l e s o l u t i o n and by no means
73
the o n l y one,
or the b e s t " .
K a r l s k i r c h e by Metzger;
He r e f e r r e d to o n l y Notre-Dame-du-Raincy;
S t . M i c h a e l , Dornac; A l l S a i n t s , B a s e l , by
Baur;
and N o t r e - D a m e - d e - l a - T r i n i t e , B l o i s , by Rouvier, as r e a l l y good examples
74
of
modern a r c h i t e c t u r e f o r t h e i r time.
But these were e s t i m a t e d as p r e -
c u r s o r s of an e v e n t u a l r e a l i z a t i o n , not the i d e a l modern church
itself.
He a l s o c i t e d the p r e f a b r i c a t e d churches of B a r t n i g i n Germany as "very
s u c c e s s f u l " and i n d i c a t e d a p r e f e r e n c e f o r undecorated
ostentatious e f f e c t s . ^
More g e n e r a l l y , he f e l t
best p r e s e n t i t s a c c o r d w i t h the r e a l i t i e s
s i t u a t i o n i n the contemporary
s u r f a c e s and
un-
t h a t the church c o u l d
( e s p e c i a l l y economic) of i t s
world by eschewing
conspicuous s i t i n g
and
76
great s i z e .
For the i n t e r i o r he promulgated
w i t h o n l y the a l t a r and c r u c i f i x as predominant
merely an ample
appurtenances.^
Pere Regamey p r e s e n t e d a number of a r c h i t e c t u r a l and
concepts which, however unorthodox
they may
space
have appeared
aesthetic
to h i s r e l i g i o u s
c o n f r e r e s a t t h a t time, were w e l l known to those i n v o l v e d w i t h contemporary a r c h i t e c t u r a l theory.
He advocated pure forms determined
by
78
s t r u c t u r e , m a t e r i a l s , and f u n c t i o n i n s t e a d of c o n v e n t i o n or h i s t o r i c i s m .
He expressed h i s a e s t h e t i c i d e a l s i n terms such as harmony, p r o p o r t i o n , '
an attendance to l i n e
and rhythm, p o w e r f u l and b e a u t i f u l volumes and
masses, and an i n g e n i o u s d i s t r i b u t i o n of l i g h t and shadow.
same c r i t e r i a used by such prominent
H i t c h c o c k and P. Johnson
These a r e the
a r c h i t e c t u r a l h i s t o r i a n s as
H.-R.
i n t h e i r d i s c u s s i o n o f modern s t y l e i n a r c h i t e c -
t u r e i n t h e i r seminal work The I n t e r n a t i o n a l S t y l e i n 1932.
c o n t i n u e s to use these c r i t e r i a .
Hitchcock
By means such as t h e s e Pere Regamey
c a l l e d upon a r c h i t e c t u r e to c r e a t e atmospheres conducive to m e d i t a t i o n
and overpowering j o y , to e x a l t the best i n man,
to be u n i v e r s a l i n
a p p e a l , to be p r o v o c a t i v e o f the m y s t e r i o u s , and to be u n i f y i n g ,
mystical,
79
and t h e o l o g i c a l i n e f f e c t .
He a l s o advocated
"logical
construction"
as an a l t e r n a t i v e to the i l l o g i c a l c o n s t r u c t i o n of p a s t i c h e .
He
felt
p a s t i c h e was d e t r i m e n t a l to the e x p r e s s i o n of a contemporary s e n s i b i l i t y
and t o a spontaneous, c o n t i n u o u s , and p e r s o n a l epiphany.
Although he
i m p l i e d a r a t i o n a l approach t o a r c h i t e c t u r e and s t a t e d t h a t a r t must
a p p e a l to the mind, he a l s o c a l l e d f o r d e s i g n informed by i n t u i t i o n s
and
80
"not r e a s o n " .
Moreover,
w i t h opposing images:
he had a penchant
f o r d e s c r i b i n g the church
the s e c l u d e d v e r s u s the open; the church c l o s e d
81
upon i t s e l f ,
o f f e r i n g s h e l t e r , and the church open t o the w o r l d .
Pere Regamey's i n t e r e s t
w i t h h i s r e l i g i o u s concerns.
i n the f i n e a r t s was
He b e l i e v e d man
closely
involved
had l o s t the a b i l i t y t o
e x p e r i e n c e a p e r s o n a l epiphany and to m e a n i n g f u l l y p a r t i c i p a t e i n and
82
b e n e f i t from the t r a n s c e n d e n t a l e x p e r i e n c e which u n i t e d a l l men,
and
he understood a r t to be a t o o l by which
such transcendence c o u l d
be
83
effected.
Consequently he b e l i e v e d t h a t the i n a b i l i t y
to p e r c e i v e
the e x a l t e d r o l e of a r t and the i n a b i l i t y t o t r u l y e x p e r i e n c e r e l i g i o u s
transcendence were r e l a t e d i l l s .
I t was
to overcome these d e f i c i e n c i e s
i n man's s p i r i t u a l b e i n g t h a t he sought t o educate the g e n e r a l populace
and c l e r g y i n matters p e r t a i n i n g t o man's a e s t h e t i c w e l l b e i n g .
These would be the b a s i c i d e a s and thought which one would
r e a d i n g the a r t i c l e s w r i t t e n by Pere Regamey, or working
encounter
f o r him.
While
they are vague and u n s p e c i f i c , they do o f f e r a number of i n t e r e s t i n g
and important parameters.
He advocated complete l i b e r t y f o r the a r t i s t
based upon knowledge of a e s t h e t i c m a t t e r s , t h e use of a r t i s t s and
archi-
t e c t s o u t s i d e the f a i t h , the supremacy of genius and i n t u i t i o n over
faith
24
and dogma, and a s t r o n g i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of contemporary church
architec-
t u r e w i t h the aims of s e c u l a r a r c h i t e c t u r e and a r c h i t e c t s of the
garde.
Most e m p h a t i c a l l y , however, he expressed
contemporary m i l i e u of church a r c h i t e c t u r e and
as t o what modern church a r c h i t e c t u r e should
Canon Ledeur,
was
avant-
a discontent with
the u n r e s o l v e d
the
position
be.
as head of the Commission f o r Sacred A r t a t Besancon,
the person most a c t i v e l y i n v o l v e d i n the c h o i c e of a r c h i t e c t f o r N o t r e -
Dame-du-Haut.
84
He,
\
l i k e the t h e o r i s t p r i e s t Pere C o u t u r i e r , a l s o
b e l i e v e d t h a t a e s t h e t i c e x c e l l e n c e whould be g i v e n p r i o r i t y over
the
85
n e c e s s i t y of choosing an a r c h i t e c t of f a i t h .
In s e l e c t i n g Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Canon Ledeur chose an a r c h i t e c t whose works and
t h e o r i e s were v e r y
accessible.
He would have undoubtedly
Sainte-Baume involvement
and
been aware of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
the U n i t e d ' H a b i t a t i o n a t M a r s e i l l e s - each
with i t s attendant c o n t r o v e r s i e s .
Canon Ledeur would a l s o have been
f a m i l i a r w i t h Le C o r b u s i e r ' s n o t i o n s about town p l a n n i n g i n which the
optimism of a s o c i e t y working t o g e t h e r i n harmony and j o y was expressed,
and which was e n t i r e l y compatible w i t h the post-World War I I o u t l o o k of
the C a t h o l i c Church, e s p e c i a l l y the Dominicans.
1951
Canon Ledeur was
87
Indeed, by March of
w e l l v e r s e d i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s work and
d u r i n g p u b l i c l e c t u r e s h e l d at Ronchamp.
88
The
quoted
him
s e l e c t i o n of Le C o r b u s i e r ,
t h e r e f o r e , gave Canon Ledeur the o p p o r t u n i t y f o r a f a s c i n a t i n g d i a l o g u e
89
w i t h a major a r c h i t e c t on the l i t u r g i c a l meaning of " f u n c t i o n a l i s m " ,
and augured an i d e a l p a t r o n - c l i e n t
Canon Ledeur supported
relationship.
Pere C o u t u r i e r and Pere Regamey i n t h e i r
aims "to b r i n g t o an end by means of a d i r e c t achievement, the
d i v o r c e which f o r the past c e n t u r y
living art".
And
86
(had) separated the Church
i n doing t h i s , " t o l e a v e no stone unturned:
absurd
from
to a p p e a l
25
to the g r e a t e s t independent
a r t i s t s no matter what t h e i r p e r s o n a l
con-
90
victions".
Ledeur f e r v e n t l y pursued
these aims w i t h seminars
and
A
e x h i b i t i o n s on modern a r t p r i o r to Le C o r b u s i e r s involvement
at Notre-
91
Dame-du-Haut.
Ledeur a l s o formulated a p h i l o s o p h i c a l c o n s t r u c t i n which he
j u s t i f i e d h i s commitment
a e s t h e t i c and
to a e s t h e t i c e x c e l l e n c e and o u t l i n e d h i s
spiritual ideals.
The
f o l l o w i n g q u o t a t i o n s summarize
some of those i d e a l s , and e l u c i d a t e h i s concept
of the p a t r o n .
For a
p r e s e n t a t i o n of these i d e a l s I r e l y h e a v i l y on a l e n g t h y a r t i c l e which, a l though p u b l i s h e d i n 1960,
i s a c o n s i s t e n t and c o n c i s e restatement
i d e a s found i n p r e c e d i n g s m a l l e r a r t i c l e s and
i n private
of
those
correspondence.
The t r a n s l a t i o n s a r e mine.
As p a t r o n , he s p e c i f i e d t h a t :
For our p a r t , l e t us d e f i n e a program, t h a t i s t o say a f u n c t i o n ,
which takes i n t o account u n i v e r s a l l i t u r g i c a l r u l e s and a t the
same time, of course, a l l l o c a l , p a s t o r a l , f i n a n c i a l f a c t s , e t c .
Even more deeply w i t h i n o u r s e l v e s , l e t us attempt t o s p e c i f y i n
what s p i r i t we would l i k e the work to be c o n c e i v e d , g i v e n the
community and what we o u r s e l v e s a r e . But then l e t us l o o k f o r
a t r u e master of h i s a r t .
Ledeur j u s t i f i e d h i s a b d i c a t i o n of complete d e s i g n c o n t r o l w i t h a
c r i t i c i s m of c o n v e n t i o n a l patronage
practice:
In r e a l i t y the a r c h i t e c t i s o f t e n chosen f o r reasons, of l e t
us say l o c a l p r o p r i e t y . In g e n e r a l he does not g i v e any guarantees
c o n c e r n i n g church c o n s t r u c t i o n . But one always b e l i e v e s one has
the o p t i o n of having the p l a n s c o r r e c t e d by some competent person.
C e r t a i n l y the f u n c t i o n can be d i s c u s s e d , the p l a n s m o d i f i e d .
But how can one hope to improve on the forms o r the volumes?
That
i s stun^d and r i d i c u l o u s .
Choice (of the a r c h i t e c t ) i s e v e r y thing.
Ledeur then s t a t e d the c o n d i t i o n s f o r the c h o i c e of a r c h i t e c t which
were s i n c e r i t y and
aspirations.
full
He a l s o
consciousness
specified:
i n terms of d e s i g n and
spiritual
Of course t h i s a l s o r e q u i r e s an involvement on t h e p a r t o f those
who commission the work. The promoter must t h e r e f o r e know and
QA
have a p p r e c i a t e d he whom he has chosen.
Furthermore
Ledeur
i n d i c a t e d t h a t these i d e a l s were i n e f f e c t a t
Notre-Dame-du-Haut:
Thus f o r Ronchamp, we were a b l e t o say t o Le C o r b u s i e r , "We know
v e r y w e l l t o whom we have come. We have not come t o t e l l you t o
do t h i s t h i n g o r t h a t t h i n g . We have come t o t e l l you:
We need
a c h a p e l that f u l f i l l s such and such a c o n d i t i o n .
As f o r t h e
r e s t , we know who you a r e . We have chosen you; t r y t o propose
something f o r u s " You see, t h a t suggests a r e a l involvement on
our part.95
Ledeur's d e f i n i t i o n of f u n c t i o n i n terms of program, economy, s o c i a l
aims, and a broad c o n c e p t i o n o f l i t u r g i c a l
of
broad v i s i o n and f l e x i b i l i t y .
enormous freedom
r u l e s showed him t o be a man
These q u a l i t i e s a l l o w e d Le C o r b u s i e r
t o e x e r c i s e h i s a e s t h e t i c and i n t e l l e c t u a l judgment i n
the t a s k s o f d e s i g n .
Although Le C o r b u s i e r was informed of t h e concept,
p o e t r y , and t h e o l o g y o f t h e V i r g i n by Ledeur, he was not r e s t r i c t e d w i t h
96
r e g a r d to forms, s t r u c t u r e o r m a t e r i a l s .
adhered
I n s t e a d , Ledeur s c r u p u l o u s l y
to h i s t h e o r y t h a t the p a t r o n s h o u l d s p e c i f y f u n c t i o n a l
parameters
only.
Ledeur used h i s r o l e as p a t r o n t o safeguard the t h e o l o g i c a l and
liturgical
requirements o f Notre-Dame-du-Haut and to e s t a b l i s h i n t h e
97
c h a p e l t h e a p p r o p r i a t e contemporary
f e a t u r e s o f worship
and s e n s i b i l i t y .
To a c c o m p l i s h t h e l a t t e r he was w i l l i n g t o f o r e g o h i s d i c t a t o r i a l p r e r o g a t i v e s as p a t r o n i n the b e l i e f t h a t t h e g e n e r a l knowledge o f f e r e d by contemporary
c u l t u r e , through the medium o f Le C o r b u s i e r , would o p e r a t e
advantageously and s u c c e s s f u l l y .
Le C o r b u s i e r was encouraged
Comments made by Ledeur
i n d i c a t e that
t o draw upon h i s broad c u l t u r a l knowledge
98
and t o r e f e r to the whole spectrum o f r e l i g i o u s s i t e s i n h i s d e s i g n .
T h i s shows a w i l l i n g n e s s on t h e p a r t o f t h e Church t o a l l o w p o p u l a r
b e l i e f s and
customs to supplement s t r i c t
be forthcoming
The
April
t h e o l o g i c a l d e f i n i t i o n s as would
from p u r e l y e c c l e s i a s t i c a l
sources.
l e t t e r s which passed between Le C o r b u s i e r and Ledeur between
1950
and May
1955
demonstrate Ledeur's c h i e f concerns to be t h a t
work of Le C o r b u s i e r should not be i n open c o n f l i c t w i t h the
p o l i c y of Rome and
the
official
t h a t i t should not c o n t r a d i c t commonly p r o f e s s e d
99
beliefs.
I t i s not u n t i l 29 A p r i l
he have any d i r e c t and
specific
1951
t h a t the canon suggested
i n f l u e n c e on the d e s i g n .
I t was
date t h a t he o f f e r e d to go to P a r i s t o d i s c u s s w i t h Le C o r b u s i e r
important
c o n s i d e r a t i o n s to be g i v e n church
furniture.
Yet
that
at t h a t
the
i t is inter-
e s t i n g to note t h a t such f u r n i t u r e as e x i s t s at Notre-Dame-du-Haut shows
no marked d i v e r g e n c e
from Le C o r b u s i e r ' s e a r l i e r f u r n i t u r e d e s i g n . .
In a d d i t i o n to important
f a c t s p e r t a i n i n g to the b u i l d i n g f a b r i c ,
the l e t t e r s a l s o r e v e a l a s t r i k i n g i n t e l l e c t u a l empathy between Le
C o r b u s i e r and
Canon Ledeur.
They shared
a s i m i l a r concept
thought of i t i n moral terms, of t r u t h r a t h e r than beauty.
d i s t i n c t i o n between t r u t h and beauty g i v e n by Ledeur may
g i v e n by Le C o r b u s i e r :
to
a v o i d the ambiguity
centered
of s t y l e
and
The f o l l o w i n g
w e l l have been
"...by u s i n g the term " t r u t h " i t i s a l s o p o s s i b l e
of the word " b e a u t y " . F u r t h e r m o r e ,
Ledeur
t h i s d i s c u s s i o n on the work of Notre-Dame-du-Haut, u s i n g i t as
an example of the " t r u t h " and
e x i s t e d between h i m s e l f and
i m p l y i n g t h a t a s i m i l a r i t y of v i s i o n
the
architect.
I t i s b e t t e r to use the word t r u t h . Moreover, i n doing so we
r e t u r n t o the language of the most demanding a r t i s t s thems e l v e s . ^01
Canon Ledeur and Le C o r b u s i e r s u b s c r i b e d to an i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of
the c r e a t i v e a c t which eschewed a l l dogma and
Corbusier:
academic t h i n k i n g .
For
Le
P l a s t i c events do not r e g u l a t e themselves a c c o r d i n g t o
s c h o l a r l y or academic formulas, they a r e f r e e and innumera b l e . 102
Likewise,
f o r Canon Ledeur:
Norms do not e x i s t .
Because the t r u t h of what we have c a l l e d
the work of a r t - the t r u t h t h a t i s c r e a t e d and the v e r y a c t
which b r i n g s i t f o r t h - does not c o n s i s t i n the a p p l i c a t i o n of
a few r u l e s . ^ 3
To r e p l a c e formulas
of
and
the concept
an a c q u i r e d t e c h n i c a l p r o f i c i e n c y , both proposed the
Thus Le C o r b u s i e r ' s e l e v a t e d c o n c e p t i o n
his
of the a r t i s t
patron's
belief
as a mere s u p p l i e r
artist-creator.
of the a r t i s t was
supported
by
that:
The v e r y meaning (of t h i s c r e a t i v e t r u t h ) i s d e f i n e d i n the a c t of
creation i t s e l f .
Thus i t i s evident i t i s a t r u t h which must be
r e d i s c o v e r e d each time and cannot be e a s i l y expressed i n words.
It must above a l l be experienced.104
Le C o r b u s i e r had
o f t e n emphasised the s t r u g g l e i n v o l v e d i n g i v i n g
form to h i s i n n e r v i s i o n and
effable s p a c e ) . T h u s ,
the c r e a t i o n of " l ' e s p a c e i n d i c i b l e " ( i n -
the v e r y premise upon which Canon Ledeur based
his
d e f i n i t i o n of " t r u t h " , and hence " a r t " , e x i s t e d w i t h i n the p r a c t i c e
and
o f t e n - p u b l i c i s e d credo
v'
d r a m a t i z a t i o n of h i m s e l f and
Furthermore, Le
h i s experiences
Corbusier's
as p r o d u c i n g
"a
life
106
which has u n r o l l e d i n the b r u t a l i t i e s of e x i s t e n c e "
in
found
a response
Canon Ledeur's view of the a r t i s t as " a l l those who, a u t h e n t i c a l l y ,
advance themselves i n a r e s e a r c h f u l l
diverse p o s s i b i l i t i e s .
q u a l i t y a r e few.
But
of u n c e r t a i n t y to d i s c o v e r
the needs a r e p r e s s i n g and
That i s the drama of our
their
the workers of
times.
With the commission of Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Canon Ledeur was
to
have form g i v e n to h i s i d e a s .
a r c h i t e c t r e l a t i o n s h i p and
C o r b u s i e r had
In so doing he r e a l i z e d the
able
patron-
the i d e a l programmatic demands which Le
always wanted.
Le C o r b u s i e r acknowledged t h i s
situation
and
t h i s freedom when he
s t a t e d " i t was
a g r e e a b l e to become absorbed i n
108
a d i s i n t e r e s t e d p r o j e c t without any
p r a c t i c a l programme".
Ledeur's statements demonstrate how
t r u l y minimal the p r a c t i c a l demands
were and
how
u n s p e c i f i c t h e i r formal
its ability
tecture.
and
reaffirmed
definition.
Canon Ledeur b e l i e v e d
to transcend
Canon
i n the n e c e s s i t y of a r t
and
the mundane; both spoke of a s p i r i t u a l a r c h i 109
d i d so i n Vers une
i t i n T e x t s et d e s s i n s
a r c h i t e c t u r e i n 1923
pour Ronchamp i n
Canon Ledeur expressed a d e s i r e f o r "the
which has a c e r t a i n human q u a l i t y .
•
"HI
1955.Likewise,
s o r t of s u p e r i o r
Functionalism
and
functionalism
which i n c l u d e s the
mys
terious.
P u r i t y of " s p i r i t " ,
the " m y s t e r i o u s " , and
" t r u t h " , a " f u n c t i o n a l i s m " t h a t has
" t h a t which i s i n e f f a b l e " are among the
q u a l i t i e s t h a t g i v e Notre-Dame-du-Haut i t s present
supreme works of t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y
i s the r e s u l t of the s y m b i o t i c
architecture.
the conception
contrary
and
The
gift
of freedom was
the
purposes t h a t
Le C o r b u s i e r .
c o n s t r u c t i o n of the c h a p e l Le C o r b u s i e r
matters.
of
Perhaps i t s success
Throughout
was
to t y p i c a l c h u r c h - c l i e n t p r o c e d u r e s , an e x t r a o r d i n a r y
over a r t i s t i c
abstract
s t a t u s as one
r e l a t i o n s h i p of i d e a l s and
seems to have e x i s t e d between Canon Ledeur and
a quality
given,
control
c o n c e i v e d , or at l e a s t
v i g o r o u s l y supported by the Canon as "a p o s s i b l e means of r e c o n c i l i n g
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s p o i n t of view w i t h t h a t of the Church's" and as an a f f i r 112
mation of a p h i l o s o p h i c a l p o s i t i o n .
a f f o r d e d assurances from the v e r y
was
obligingly
f i r s t t h a t he would a l s o have complete
c o n t r o l over a l l f u t u r e m o d i f i c a t i o n s
a c c e s s . . . t h e i n t e r i o r and
of the s t r u c t u r e , " i n c l u d i n g
exterior decoration,
113
of whatever n a t u r e t h a t might be".
p a i n t i n g and
sculpture,
29
Notre-Dame-du-Haut appears t o be t h e r e s u l t o f a c o n f l u x o f i d e a l s .
A nexus o f i n t e r r e l a t e d
ideas suggests t h a t a c o m p a t i b l e p h i l o s o p h i c a l
o u t l o o k towards a r t , s p i r i t u a l i t y , and c r e a t i v i t y e x i s t e d between t h e
a r c h i t e c t and p a t r o n .
of
The s i m i l a r i t y o f Canon Ledeur's i d e a l s w i t h t h o s e
Pere C o u t u r i e r and Pere Regamey commend t h e p e r v a s i v e n e s s o f t h o s e
i d e a l s and t h e i r r e f l e c t i o n o f a c e r t a i n s e c t o r o f t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y F r e n c h
C a t h o l i c thought.
to
Le C o r b u s i e r , as an a r c h i t e c t , was b e l i e v e d by them a b l e
g i v e form t o those i d e a l s and thus t o make Notre-Dame-du-Haut an agency
through which the mind and s p i r i t
become a p o s t o l i c and m a t e r i a l l y
o f contemporary F r e n c h C a t h o l i c i s m c o u l d
functional.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut and o t h e r e c c l e s i a s t i c a l
The
rapprochement
experiments
between modern a r c h i t e c t u r e and t h e French Roman
C a t h o l i c Church a c h i e v e d such prominence t h a t i t prompted
survey books r e c o r d i n g t h e accomplishments.
the
r e a l i z a t i o n of the f i r s t
s e v e r a l major
Although t h e date a s s i g n e d
'modern' French C a t h o l i c Church changed as
s u c c e e d i n g achievements made p r e c u r s o r s of e x i s t i n g ones, a l l t h e major
sources a r e agreed as t o the key works.
cernible i n the l i t e r a t u r e ,
Although three stages a r e d i s -
the second and t h i r d s t a g e s p o s t - d a t e N o t r e -
114
Dame-du-Haut.
The f i r s t
au XXe S i e c l e
stage i s e x e m p l i f i e d by A. Munier's Un P r o j e c t
(1932) which p r a i s e d t e c h n i c a l achievements, economy, i n n o -
v a t i o n s i n c o n s t r u c t i o n , and the use of new materials.''''''"'
the
d'Eglise
By d i s c u s s i n g
church b u i l d i n g i n t h e s e terms, Munier sought t o i l l u s t r a t e t h e Church's
openness t o modern i d e a s and a r c h i t e c t u r a l v a l u e s .
However, no d i s t i n c -
t i o n was made between such modern works as P e r r e t ' s Notre-Dame-du-Raincy
30
and o t h e r s h a v i n g obvious h i s t o r i c a l r e m i n i s c e n c e s and were c l e a r l y p a s tiches.
Saint-Jean-1'Evangelist
(1894-1903) by de Baudot i s most o f t e n c i t e d
as t h e f i r s t modern, and l a t e r , the f i r s t
I t was
f o r e r u n n e r t o the modern c h u r c h .
termed modern i n 1903 and i n 1932 because of t h e use of a c o n c r e t e
s k e l e t o n and s i m p l i f i e d
( G o t h i c ) forms.
d a t i n g from a f t e r World War
However, i n c r i t i c a l
writing
I I , S a i n t - J e a n came t o be r e c o g n i z e d as an
e a r l y a r c h i t e c t u r a l r e f l e c t i o n of t h e l i t u r g i c a l
s i r a b l e between c l e r g y and l a i t y .
i d e a l s of the u n i t y de-
T h i s appears t o be a r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n ,
i n f l u e n c e d by c u r r e n t aims, of t h e i n i t i a l impetus f o r S a i n t - J e a n .
Notre-Dame-du-Raincy (1923) by P e r r e t i s unanimously h e r a l d e d
as
t h e next m i l e s t o n e i n t h e development of modern church a r c h i t e c t u r e i n
118
France.
I t was
l a b e l l e d modern i n 1930,
the f i r s t modern i n 1960,
119
A
the most s i g n i f i c a n t p r e c u r s o r to t h e modern church i n 1968.
and
Notre-
Dame-du-Raincy i s a l o n g r e c t a n g u l a r b u i l d i n g of exposed r e i n f o r c e d concrete.
I t has a s l i g h t l y bowed apse a t t h e east end and i t s e n t r a n c e ,
w i t h a c e n t r a l l y - p l a c e d c l o c k tower above, a t t h e west end.
The
interior
i s a s i n g l e space s u b d i v i d e d by t h i n columns w h i c h support t h e s e m i c i r c u lar,
t r a n s v e r s e c o n c r e t e v a u l t s of t h e nave and the l a t e r a l v a u l t s o f t h e
flanking aisles.
A l t h o u g h t h e nave v a u l t i s s t r u c t u r a l l y and
p r a c t i c a l , i t i s a l s o v i s u a l l y convenient
barrel vault.
economically
i n suggesting a t r a d i t i o n a l
The s a n c t u a r y i s r a i s e d , i n c o r p o r a t i n g a s a c r i s t y beneath,
and the a l t a r i s a g a i n s t t h e r e a r w a l l .
Three q u a r t e r s of t h e nave and
east w a l l c o n s i s t of g r e a t expanses of g l a s s i n s e r t e d i n d e c o r a t i v e con- ,
c r e t e c l a u s t r a s which a r e s e t w i t h i n the t h i n s u p p o r t i n g p o s t s which
frame the s t r u c t u r e .
wall.
The lower q u a r t e r i s a f l a t ,
exposed c o n c r e t e
The nave and s i d e a i s l e s a r e t h e r e f o r e f l o o d e d w i t h n a t u r a l l i g h t
emphasising
the l i g h t n e s s of the s t r u c t u r e and the g r e a t volume o f space.
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g i t s s t r u c t u r a l and m a t e r i a l i n n o v a t i o n s , the
tradi-
t i o n a l s i l h o u e t t e of the urban m e d i e v a l church i s r e c a l l e d by the presence
of the tower and the h a l l - c h u r c h arrangement of the church's major volume.
The presence of p a t t e r n i n the g l a s s and windows framed
as s a c r i s t y , and tower as c l o c k tower,
as c l a u s t r a s ,
i l l u s t r a t e the c o n t i n u a t i o n of
t r a d i t i o n a l elements w i t h i n the church t o accommodate new
than the c r e a t i o n of new
spatial
crypt
purposes
rather
arrangements.
Although c e r t a i n a s p e c t s of the d e s i g n , p a r t i c u l a r l y the predominance
g i v e n t o the s a n c t u a r y and the a l t a r , the s l o p e of the f l o o r , and
great i n t e n s i t y of l i g h t , may
s e n s i t i v i t y t o emerging
the
be c h a r a c t e r i z e d as i n d i c a t i v e of a modern
l i t u r g i c a l r e n o v a t i o n , Notre-Dame-du-Raincy
was
120
p r a i s e d f o r o t h e r a s p e c t s when i t was
built.
I t was
the s t r u c t u r e
m a t e r i a l s , and the c l a r i t y w i t h which t h e s e were expressed which
first
gave r i s e to Notre-Dame-du-Raincy's a c c l a i m by both the Church and
121
porary a r c h i t e c t u r a l c r i t i c i s m .
There i s l i t t l e
and
to i n d i c a t e t h a t the r o l e of the p a t r o n was
contem-
an i n -
f l u e n t i a l one i n d e t e r m i n i n g the a r c h i t e c t u r a l form of Notre-Dame-du122
Raincy.
Nor are the new
p l a n n i n g i d e a s e x p l o r e d i n Germany i n the e a r l y
123
1920s evidenced i n the p l a n .
I n s t e a d , the church appears t o have d e r i v e d
i t s forms, m a t e r i a l s , and a r c h i t e c t from the p a t r o n ' s a c q u i e s e n c e t o the
economical r e a l i t i e s of h i s p a r i s h ; i t was
a r a p i d l y expanding but
124
p a r i s h needing a l a r g e but economical s h e l t e r .
poor
The p a t r o n d i d show an
open-mindedness i n a c c e p t i n g P e r r e t ' s image of a church but i t i s important to keep i n mind t h a t the church was
accepted because
of i t s economy,
and to some degree f o r i t s embodiment o f modern a r c h i t e c t u r a l concepts,
but not e s p e c i a l l y f o r i t s modern l i t u r g i c a l
propriety.
32
/
/
A
In n e i t h e r S a i n t - J e a n - 1 ' E v a n g e l i s t nor Notre-Dame-du-Raincy
a r c h i t e c t u r e c a l l e d upon to r e f l e c t
thought
changes i n l i t u r g i c a l or
i n France by means of changes i n p l a n c o n f i g u r a t i o n .
was
theological
However, i n
a c c e p t i n g these b u i l d i n g s , the Church, perhaps u n i n t e n t i o n a l l y , s a n c t i o n e d
a new
image of the suburban
church t h a t possessed s o c i a l and
economic
a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s r a t h e r than one t h a t f l a u n t e d w e a l t h .
The f i n a l stage i n the development of modern church a r c h i t e c t u r e i n
France i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the t h r e e churches which,
e f f e c t , announced that a new
in their
p e r i o d of church b u i l d i n g was
125
were the churches of Assy, A u d i n c o u r t , and Vence.
cumulated
imminent.
These
In a l l t h r e e the i d e a s
of Pere C o u t u r i e r were i n s t r u m e n t a l i n the c h o i c e of a r t i s t , theme, and
medium.
He p u r p o s e l y employed n o n - c a t h o l i c a r t i s t s t o i l l u s t r a t e h i s
p r i n c i p l e of "aux
grands hommes l e s grandes
choses" and thus " l e s m a i t r e s
126
en dehors".
At Assy, A u d i n c o u r t , and Vence he c o n c e n t r a t e d h i s e f f o r t s
127
on the a r t s of s t a i n e d g l a s s , p a i n t i n g , murals, mosaic, and s c u l p t u r e .
The church at Assy was commissioned i n 1937 by Pere Devemy, a f r i e n d
\
128
of Pere C o u t u r i e r , and was completed b e f o r e the war.
I t was b u i l t by
Novarina and i s of a s t a n d a r d b a s i l i c a n p l a n w i t h a deeply r e c e s s e d a l t a r
i n a r a i s e d sanctuary.
On the e x t e r i o r i t has s t r o n g r e m i n i s c e n c e s of
l o c a l t r a d i t i o n and e x e m p l i f i e d the t r e n d of r e g i o n a l i s m f a v o u r e d by
the
129
Dominicans,
Assy was
i n c l u d i n g Pere C o u t u r i e r .
The post-World War
I I work a t
an e x t e n s i o n of t h i s e a r l i e r p r o j e c t and most d i r e c t l y r e v e a l e d
Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s a e s t h e t i c i n t e n t i o n s , as Pere Devemy had sought h i s coun130
\
/
cil.
However, Pere C o u t u r i e r had c o n s u l t e d w i t h Pere Devemy i n 1939
about
the proposed
church and had p r a i s e d o t h e r s i m i l a r works by
Novarina
131
at that time.
T h e r e f o r e , the church p l a n must have met
with h i s
a p p r o v a l as no changes were suggested or c r i t i c i s m s of i t made.
It i s
33
s i g n i f i c a n t t h a t , w h i l e Pere C o u t u r i e r saw
the need to r e j u v e n a t e
d e c o r a t i o n by the employ of such r e c o g n i z e d
Leger, Rouault, and
Bonnard, he overlooked
church
and n o n - c a t h o l i c a r t i s t s
as
the use of comparable a r c h i t e c t s
i n h i s a p o s t o l i c aims.
The
same c o n c l u s i o n s may
at A u d i n c o u r t .
T h i s was
be drawn from Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s
to be h i s most c o n c e r t e d
involvement
e f f o r t to r e a l i z e h i s
132
i d e a l s that u n i t e d a r t and
by Novarina between 1950
spiritual sensibility.
and
at Assy u s i n g the v o c a b u l a r y
1952,
Audincourt,
built
i s a s i m p l i f i e d v e r s i o n of h i s church
of forms c u r r e n t i n modern a r c h i t e c t u r e .
A
r e c t a n g u l a r emphasis r e p l a c e s the pronounced peaked r o o f found at Assy,
and
t h i n columns r e p l a c e the more numerous and massive ones.
at Audincourt
d e r i v e s i t s modern look from i t s f l a t
The
church
s u r f a c e s , the
pre-
dominance of w h i t e , the t h i n n e s s of the s u p p o r t i n g
s t r u c t u r e , the
ness of o u t l i n e , and
e x t e r i o r expression
the c l e a r d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n and
the b u i l d i n g a c c o r d i n g to the uses w i t h i n .
little
crispof
However, the p l a n r e v e a l s
change from the b a s i l i c a p l a n as understood by P e r r e t i n
As w i t h Assy, i t was
the d e c o r a t i o n and the use of n o n - c a t h o l i c
133
which made i t a c o n t r o v e r s i a l p r o j e c t .
The c h a p e l at Vence was b u i l t i n 1951.
The a r c h i t e c t was
1923.
artists
Rayssiguier,
134
who
r e c e i v e d some a s s i s t a n c e from P e r r e t .
artist.
As w i t h Assy and
Audincourt,
i n v o l v e d w i t h the d e c o r a t i o n of the c h a p e l and
Although M a t i s s e
the
i n i t i a t e d h i s p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the p r o j e c t him-
s e l f , Pere C o u t u r i e r a c t e d as h i s p e r s o n a l c o n f i d a n t , a d v i s i n g him
theme and
the i n t r i c a c i e s of s t a i n e d g l a s s .
Indeed, the a r c h i t e c t r e -
v e a l s t h a t h i s major concern was to accommodate M a t i s s e ' s
135
unbroken areas
economy and
of f l a t
surface.
Yet
on
needs w i t h
the c h a p e l i s planned w i t h
i n g e n u i t y to f a c i l i t a t e church h i e r a r c h y and
large
great
ritual in a
34
u n i f i e d space.
Different
f u n c t i o n s a r e housed
i n articulated
volumes f r e e l y i n t e r p e n e t r a t i n g and u n i t i n g a t the a l t a r .
spatial
Although the
harmony and p r o p o r t i o n i n g of the s p a t i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s were understood
and a p p r e c i a t e d by o n l y a few,
i t d i d i n d i c a t e t h a t such a r c h i t e c t u r a l
space c o u l d be used as a m e a n i n g f u l and e x p r e s s i v e medium.
du-Haut, designed s i m u l t a n e o u s l y , Le C o r b u s i e r was
At Notre-Dame-
a b l e t o t a k e these i n -
choate s p a t i a l s e n s i t i v i t i e s and make them a p a r t of p u b l i c c o n s c i o u s n e s s .
The statement
i s s u e d by Pere Devemy and Pere C o u t u r i e r i n defense of
t h e i r program of " l e s m a i t r e s en dehors" at Assy and A u d i n c o u r t e s t a b l i s h e d the p i t c h of excitement and urgency which informed the post-World
War
I I e r a of French Roman C a t h o l i c i s m .
The f e r v e n c y w i t h which
such
i s s u e s were pursued p r o v i d e d a l e g a c y f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut a t Ronchamp:
No more i n France than i n the U n i t e d S t a t e s need we expect t h a t
the Pope w i l l have r e a l competence i n q u e s t i o n s r e l a t i n g t o modern
a r t ; f o r t h a t he would have t o be a s p e c i a l i s t which he i s not.136
We c a l l e d on them (modern a r t i s t s ) p u r e l y and simply because
they were the g r e a t e s t .... We b e l i e v e d that i t was our duty to
p r o c u r e f o r God and our F a i t h the b e s t a r t of the p r e s e n t . . .
We were t i r e d o f always s e e i n g i n our churches the most mediocre
examples of p a i n t i n g and s c u l p t u r e .
In the l o n g r u n , we thought,
that m e d i o c r i t y c o u l d o n l y r e s u l t i n s e r i o u s l y a l t e r i n g the r e l i gious psychology of c l e r g y and worshippers a l i k e .
Under the a c t u a l c o n d i t i o n s i t would be s a f e r t o t u r n t o
geniuses w i t h o u t f a i t h than t o b e l i e v e r s w i t h o u t t a l e n t . 1 3 7
L a t e r , Pere C o u t u r i e r was
to r e c o g n i z e Le C o r b u s i e r as one of those
geniuses:
We b e l i e v e Le C o r b u s i e r to be the g r e a t e s t l i v i n g a r c h i t e c t and
a l s o one i n which the spontaneous sense o f the s a c r e d i s the most
a u t h e n t i c and the strongest.138
35
CHAPTER I I I
THE
PILGRIMAGE CHURCH PLAN AND NOTRE-DAME-DU-HAUT
At t h e t i m e t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r d e s i g n e d Notre-Dame-du-Haut a t Ronchamp,
the F r e n c h C a t h o l i c Church was s u g g e s t i n g
ever way
a r e t u r n t o t r a d i t i o n , i n what-
a r e - e v a l u a t i o n o f t h a t t r a d i t i o n was i n t e n d e d .
P e r e Regamey had
d e f i n e d t r a d i t i o n as "a c o n s t a n t , and beneath t h e i n f i n i t e v a r i e t y o f
forms . . . the most o b v i o u s c o n s t a n t
a t i v e process".''"
i s t h e perpetual renewal of t h e c r e -
A r c h i t e c t u r a l forms and customs were i n c l u d e d i n t h i s
p e r c e p t i o n o f t r a d i t i o n and, j u s t as t h e r e c o l l e c t i o n o f m e d i e v a l a r c h i t e c t u r e was i n t e n d e d
t o i n s t i l l n a t i o n a l p r i d e and r e a s s u r e t h e p o p u l a c e
w i t h past achievements, so t o o d i d t h e r e v i v e d i n t e r e s t i n p i l g r i m a g e
seek
2
to i n s t i l l pride i n personal
endeavour.
U n l i k e the p a r i s h church,
t h e p i l g r i m a g e c h u r c h i n F r a n c e was n o t
a n o t i c e a b l e c o n c e r n o f t h e l i t u r g i c a l movement i n t h e e a r l i e r p a r t o f
3
the century.
However, i t o c c a s i o n a l l y a r o s e as a s p e c i a l d e s i g n problem
i n t h e l a t e n i n e t e e n t h and e a r l y t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r i e s :
d i f f i c u l t d e s i g n problem a t Lourdes i n 1864,
,
i t appeared as a
as a d e s i g n p r o j e c t f o r t h e
4
E c o l e des Beaux A r t s
i n 1899,
i n the enlarging of t h e pilgrimage
at Ronchamp i n 1844 and a g a i n i n i t s r e b u i l d i n g i n 1926,
p e t i t i o n a t Nancy i n 1930,
i n 1948.
chapel
i n a d e s i g n com-
and i n a phenomenal p r o j e c t a t Sainte-Baume
Indeed, t h e p r a c t i c e o f p i l g r i m a g e , e s p e c i a l l y t h a t i n v o l v i n g
s h r i n e s t o t h e V i r g i n , had had a r e m a r k a b l e r e s u r g e n c e s i n c e t h e 1848
m i r a c l e a t Lourdes.
And p i l g r i m a g e s t o Our Lady o f L i s i e u x , t o S a i n t e s -
Maries-de-la-Mer w i t h i t s attendant
renewed v i g o u r .
customs, and o t h e r s c o n t i n u e d
Pilgrimage of a decidedly twentieth-century
with
n a t u r e was
introduced
i n t o avant-garde realms of t h i n k i n g w i t h B a t a i l l e ' s
concerns i n the
1920s.^
The v a s t enlargement of p i l g r i m a g e
at Lourdes, Lyon, M a r s e i l l e s , Montmarte, Ronchamp, and
surrealist
facilities
the p l a n s
for
Sainte-
g
Baume r e s u l t e d from t h i s r e v i t a l i z e d
tradition.
Although the scope of t h i s paper p r e c l u d e s
f u l l h i s t o r y of p i l g r i m a g e
an attempt to t r a c e
churches, i t i s worthwhile to make some r e f e r -
ence to the m e d i e v a l p i l g r i m a g e
t r a d i t i o n and
to examine some p i l g r i m a g e
churches b u i l t
i n France w i t h i n a hundred years of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
Dame-du-Haut.
The more contemporary churches o f f e r i n s i g h t f u l
of how
the p i l g r i m a g e
theme was
re-evaluated
the p e r i o d immediately p r e c e e d i n g
pilgrimage
the
Notre-
examples
within i t s tradition
during
Notre-Dame-du-Haut's c o n c e p t i o n .
A
church b u i l t by Rudolf Schwartz, a l t h o u g h i n Germany and
post-
d a t i n g Notre-Dame-du-Haut, w i l l o f f e r an i n t e r e s t i n g comparison i n terms
of n a t i o n a l and
The
contemporary l i t u r g i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n .
t r a d i t i o n a l medieval pilgrimage
types of c o n s t r u c t i o n .
the p i l g r i m a g e
The most well-known type i s t h a t a s s o c i a t e d
to Compostela:
Conques, Ste. Foy;
church i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d by
with
Tours, S t . M a r t i n ; Limoges, S t . M a r t i a l ;
Toulouse, S t . - S e r n i n ; and
These churches are c h a r a c t e r i z e d by new
Santiago de Compostela
( F i g . 1).
s p a t i a l c o n f i g u r a t i o n s developed
to accommodate l a r g e numbers of congregated p i l g r i m s , v i s i b l e access
the s a c r e d
s h r i n e or h o l y r e l i c , d e v o t i o n a l r i t u a l s , and
w i t h i n a much e n l a r g e d
numerous and
b a s i l i c a plan.
e v e n t u a l l y evolved
chapels
to
sheltered
Chapels f o r the p i l g r i m became more
i n t o the p i l g r i m ' s c h o i r ^ a l l o w i n g
p i l g r i m ' s movement through t r a n s e p t and
choir.
two
the
ambulatory to the s h r i n e i n the
A i s l e s were sometimes added to the nave to f a c i l i t a t e l a r g e crowds,
as were c o n f e s s i o n a l s , a l t a r s , and
space.
marked not o n l y by t h e i r l a r g e s i z e and
These p i l g r i m a g e
complex y e t ordered
churches
plans,
are
but
37
a l s o by t h e i r l u x u r i a n c e , which r e s u l t e d from p i l g r i m a g e g i f t s .
w i t h these p i l g r i m a g e
churches of great w e a l t h and
Associated
s i z e are h o s t e l s
and
o f t e n the temporary s h e l t e r s of poor p i l g r i m s encamped upon the f l a n k i n g
.
11
parvxs.
A second t r a d i t i o n of p i l g r i m a g e accommodation e x i s t s i n the
small
s h r i n e s b u i l t as an a c t of i n d i v i d u a l p i e t y or e r e c t e d communally.
They
a r e o f t e n the s i t e of m i r a c l e s , a p p a r i t i o n s , a s a i n t ' s presence, or have
a c q u i r e d r e l i g i o u s importance from some l o n g - f o r g o t t e n pagan or
tive association.
These a r e o f t e n s i t u a t e d i n s m a l l and
protec-
remote v i l l a g e s
12
or p l a c e s of d i f f i c u l t
access.
Such p i l g r i m a g e
t h e i r s m a l l s i z e , u s u a l l a c k of o s t e n t a t i o n , and
chapels have i n common
the importance g i v e n
the s i t e i n r e c o g n i t i o n of i t as a p l a c e of m i r a c l e , d e v o t i o n ,
beneficence.
Examples of these a r e numerous and
e a s t e r n France
at l e a s t
twelve e x i s t i n
s i n g l e m i r a c l e marked i t s emergence from
p a r i s h church to p i l g r i m a g e
chapel.
V i r g i n venerated
the reasons s u r r o u n d i n g
t h e r e , and
h o l y r e l i c a r e unknown.
Instead,
Roman o c c u p a t i o n ,
and
The
d e r i v a t i o n of the s t a t u e of
a number of events i n c l u d i n g pagan
continuous
a c c e s s i b i l i t y through p e r i o d s
to
the
Although churches e x i s t e d on or near the s i t e as e a r l y as
perhaps 1 1 0 2 , ^ the l a t t e r was
predates
by two
17
the N a t i v i t y .
occupation
years
And
any
the
i t s i n i t i a t i o n as a
of p o l i t i c a l t u r m o i l , l e d to a f i e r c e l o y a l t y to the s i t e and
„.
.
14
Virgin.
and
a c t of
alone.
At Notre-Dame-du-Haut no
precedents,
and
to
dedicated
to St. V i n c e n t
and
1269^
the
former
unusual l o c a l event a t t r i b u t e d to the V i r g i n
although
p i l g r i m s are recorded
of the s i t e i s v e r i f i a b l e o n l y from 1308,
i n 1271,
18
of
continuous
t h i r t y - s e v e n years
19
later.
T h i s , as were the o t h e r s , was
a p a r i s h church.
In 1734,
despite
the presence of t h e v e n e r a t e d s t a t u e of the V i r g i n
e a r l y seventeenth c e n t u r y ),
a new,
old
20
the h i l l t o p
more a c c e s s i b l e church was proposed.
( a t t r i b u t e d to the
church was so n e g l e c t e d t h a t
21
Subsequently,
i n 1741 the
church r e l i n q u i s h e d i t s p o s i t i o n as the p a r i s h church and became
Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
to d i s t i n g u i s h i t from the new church below i n the
22
village.
I t r e t a i n e d i t s d e d i c a t i o n t o the N a t i v i t y ,of t h e * V i r g i n , and
the custom of the p a r i s h church t o c e l e b r a t e i t s d e d i c a t i o n on September 8
was transformed i n t o a p i l g r i m a g e f o r the e n t i r e d i o c e s e .
Notre-Dame-du-Haut s
1
p o p u l a r i t y grew throughout
the e i g h t e e n t h ,
n i n e t e e n t h , and pearly t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r i e s - p r i m a r i l y because
of the cha-
p e l ' s a b i l i t y t o evade R e p u b l i c a n c l o s u r e s and the l a t e r S t a t e Law of
24
S e p a r a t i o n (1906) which c u r t a i l e d many r e l i g i o u s p r a c t i c e s .
The s t a t u e
of the V i r g i n was i t s e l f g r e a t l y enhanced by i t s apparent m i r a c u l o u s
r e c o v e r y from the f i r e of 1913 which d e s t r o y e d most of the c h a p e l .
the post-World War
of
25
By
I e r a , Nc?tre-Dame-du-Haut had become the c h i e f c e n t e r
Marian d e v o t i o n of the d i o c e s e , a t t r a c t i n g p i l g r i m s on September 8 and
26
at
o t h e r times.
C o n t i n u i n g the p i l g r i m a g e church t r a d i t i o n i n France i n the modern
era
are:
Saint-Odile, Paris
(1848): the B a s i l i c a of Lourdes
(1864 and
1908); Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
Ronchamp (1843-1851 and 1923-1936); S a i n t e -
Theresa-de-1'Enfant-Jesus,
Nancy
Germany, Santa Anna, Duren
(1930); Sainte-Baume (1949); and i n
(1956).
S a i n t e - O d i l e (1848) i s an urban church accommodating worship
with
a t r a d i t i o n a l l y - p l a c e d a l t a r i n a r a i s e d s a n c t u a r y c i r c l e d by an ambula27
tory
( F i g . 2).
I t has t h r e e a d d i t i o n a l s i d e c h a p e l s a l o n g one nave w a l l .
P i l g r i m a g e d e v o t i o n i s s e r v e d by an e a s i l y and i n d e p e n d e n t l y a c c e s s i b l e
underground
c r y p t p l a c e d i n t h e lower c h u r c h .
The p l a n of the c r y p t i s
39
little
determined
by t h a t of the upper church which i s l i m i t e d by i t s
28
narrow urban s i t e .
However, the a d d i t i o n a l c h a p e l s and
are c o n v e n t i o n a l to p i l g r i m a g e p l a n n i n g and may
here a l s o .
S i g n i f i c a n t l y , the 1940
e x i s t e n c e does not reproduce
ambulatory
serve p i l g r i m a g e needs
p u b l i c a t i o n documenting the
church's
the c r y p t p l a n nor does i t e x t o l the
29
pil-
grimage f u n c t i o n of the c h a p e l .
The p i l g r i m a g e to Lourdes has n e c e s s i t a t e d much c o n s t r u c t i o n a t
its
site.
In 1858,
an esplanade
a comprehensive s i t e p l a n was
w i t h baths
along the Cave r i v e r and
projected that included
the c o n s t r u c t i o n of a
30
park-like setting.
T h i s d e s i g n was i n a u g u r a t e d w i t h the b u i l d i n g of
a b a s i l i c a on the c l i f f s of M a s s a b i e l l e , which c o n s i s t e d of a lower church
31
s u p p o r t i n g a v e r y h i g h , narrow neo-Gothic e d i f i c e ( F i g . 3 ) .
In 1883
the lower
church of the Rosary, i n a neo-Byzantine
ramp c o n n e c t i n g
also b u i l t .
the two
In 1908
churches,
were begun.
32
s t y l e , and a
double
P i l g r i m a g e h o s t e l s were
the b a s i l i c a of Notre-Dame-du-Lourdes e n l a r g e d yet
a g a i n the p i l g r i m a g e s e r v i c e s o f f e r e d a t the s i t e .
33
A combination
Romanesque and G o t h i c elements, c o n v e n t i o n a l masonry and
p a r t e l e v a t i o n i n the nave envelop
has a t r a d i t i o n a l p l a n :
35
Although
a three34
of t r a d i t i o n a l
building
church
to comment upon i t s p i l g r i m a g e f u n c t i o n s or i t s
36
plan.
However, i t does p r o v i d e a d d i t i o n a l s a n c t i f i e d
space f o r p i l -
grimage d e v o t i o n i n c l o s e p r o x i m i t y to the v e n e r a t e d waters of
Notre-Dame-du-Haut a t Ronchamp (1923-1936) was
b u i l t as a replacement
seventeenth-century
It
side a i s l e s , a projecting
Munier documents t h i s
as a church e v i n c i n g an e l e g a n t m o d e r n i z a t i o n
a r c h i t e c t u r e , he f a i l s
r u b b l e , and
i t s r e i n f o r c e d concrete s t r u c t u r e .
a nave f l a n k e d by two
t r a n s e p t , and a p o l y g o n a l apse.
of
Lourdes.
a pilgrimage
church
f o r the f i f t e e n t h - c e n t u r y s t r u c t u r e - w i t h i t s
b e l l t o w e r and n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y ,
five-towered
c h a p e l a d d i t i o n - d e s t r o y e d by f i r e i n 1913
(Fig. 4).
o c t a g o n a l c h a p e l w i t h f o u r a d d i t i o n a l a l t a r s was
The f i v e - t o w e r e d
p a r t of an
ambitious
b u i l d i n g program i n s t i g a t e d by the cure of Notre-Dame-du-Haut between
and
1857
i n response t o i n c r e a s e d p i l g r i m a g e s .
l a r g e d , grander
In a d d i t i o n t o an
en-
church w i t h f o u r s u b s i d i a r y c h a p e l s , an orphanage, a
r e s i d e n c e , and a p r o c e s s i o n a l way
1843
girls
marked by monumental s t a t i o n s of the
38
c r o s s were e n v i s i o n e d .
The b u i l d i n g program of 1923
to 1936
produced
a
neo-Gothic masonry church which accommodated p i l g r i m a g e crowds w i t h a
39
m a k e s h i f t s a n c t u a r y c r e a t e d i n the e x t e r i o r porch on the east facade.
T h i s e x t e r i o r s a n c t u a r y was
marked a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y by f o u r
massive
masonry p i e r s surmounted by a gable r o o f which e n c l o s e d the porch.
Two
sweeping b a l u s t r a d e s descended from e i t h e r s i d e of the p o r c h t o encompass
the e a r t h e n p l a i n b e f o r e i t .
The
s a n c t u a r y was
demarcated f u r t h e r
s c u l p t u r e s of the V i r g i n and a n g e l s which adorned
documentation
of the church g i v e s l i t t l e
the r o o f .
i n f o r m a t i o n about
Published
the p l a n .
However, i t i s the e x t e r i o r arrangement which i s p a r t i c u l a r l y
here.
Photos i n d i c a t e t h a t p i l g r i m s congregated w i t h i n the
important
encircled
p l a i n b e f o r e the porch where the a l t a r and o f f i c i a n t s p r e s i d e d .
a l s o i n d i c a t e t h a t a p r o c e s s i o n preceded
Sainte-Therese-de-l'Enfant-Jesus
this
by
Photos
( F i g . 5).
(1930) was
a projected pilgrimage
40
church f o r Nancy.
/
d ' E g l i s e aux XXe
I t was
s
the f e a t u r e d church i n Munier's
S i e c l e and was
thought
a s p i r a t i o n s of the French C a t h o l i c Church
to r e a l i z e the
at t h a t date.
Un
Projet
architectural
I t resembled
a
c o n v e n t i o n a l medieval church i n i t s o r i e n t a t i o n and arrangement of nave,
s i d e a i s l e s , and c h o i r .
f r o n t i n g the western
Three entrances gave access t o the narthex
e x t r e m i t y of the nave, and
s i t u a t e d at the meeting
l a t e r a l entrances were
o f t r a n s e p t and nave ( F i g . 6 ) .
The c h o i r
was
f l a n k e d by two a l t a r s , each h a v i n g a s a c r i s t y b e h i n d .
P i l g r i m s were
accommodated by s i x a d d i t i o n a l a l t a r s a l o n g t h e nave w a l l s , two of which
c r e a t e d a c r o s s - n a v e w i t h one of the c h a p e l s c o n t a i n i n g the r e l i c of
/
41
N
Sainte-Therese.
These c h a p e l s opened d i r e c t l y t o a i s l e s t h a t were
c o n t i n u o u s from t h e a d d i t i o n a l e n t r a n c e s a d j a c e n t t o the major w e s t e r n
p o r c h , through t h e t r a n s e p t , t o the ambulatory.
The ambulatory
the major a l t a r beneath complex p a r a b o l i c v a u l t s .
p i l g r i m ' s c h o i r was
encircled
Thus t h e t r a d i t i o n a l
r e t a i n e d f o r the " p r o c e s s i o n a l way
of S a i n t e - T h e r e s e " .
Sainte-Baume (1949) was a n o t h e r p r o j e c t f o r a p i l g r i m a g e c h u r c h .
The p l a n c o n s i s t e d of a nave h o l l o w e d from t h e l i v e r o c k t o be l i t
43
by s m a l l channels c u t through the r o c k w a l l s ( F i g . 7 ) .
primarily
The nave r o s e i n
a s t e a d y a s c e n t t o a s i n g l e l a r g e a r e a and then narrowed to a c o r r i d o r
e v e n t u a l l y t e r m i n a t i n g i n an e x t e r i o r p o r c h o v e r l o o k i n g t h e sea.
b a s i l i c a was
t h e cavernous
nave.
The
p r e f a c e d by a l o n g , h i l l y , p r e c i p i t o u s p a t h a s c e n d i n g t o
e n t r a n c e i n t h e r o c k f a c e t h a t f u n c t i o n e d as facade f o r the
A d d i t i o n a l a c c e s s t o the i n t e r i o r space was
p r o v i d e d by s m a l l t u n n e l s
bored through the r o c k which debouched a t v a r i o u s c o n c e a l e d s p o t s i n t h e
44
mountain t e r r a i n .
The major d e t e r m i n a n t s of t h e p l a n were the aim t o
e x p r e s s a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y the i d e a s of p y l o n and g r o t t o t h a t were a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h t h e legend o f Mary Magdalene, t h e r e v i t a l i z a t i o n of p a s t customs
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the s i t e , and t h e i n c o r p o r a t i o n of the a c t u a l h a l l o w e d
ground
i n the d e s i g n . ^
Santa Anna (1956) i s a p i l g r i m a g e c h u r c h b u i l t by the l e a d i n g a r c h i -
t e c t u r a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of t h e l i t u r g i c a l movement i n Germany, R u d o l f
46
Schwartz ( F i g . 8 ) .
I t i s a c h u r c h of spare c u b i c forms and f l a t s u r f a c e s
o r d e r e d by r e c t a n g u l a r g e o m e t r i e s .
E n t e r e d from a s i d e e n t r a n c e i n t h e
s o u t h w a l l , the i n t e r i o r a r t i c u l a t i o n c o n t i n u e s the g e o m e t r i c rhythm of
42
the e x t e r i o r a l o n g the l e n g t h of the t r a d i t i o n a l l y o r i e n t e d nave.
Pil-
grims a r e served by the c l e a r s e p a r a t i o n of t h e i r a c t i v i t y from the more
common d e v o t i o n a l r i t u a l s focused
dated
on the major a l t a r .
They a r e accommo-
i n a t r a p e z o i d a l space (a n a r t h e x ) immediately
south e n t r y .
T h i s narthex
p i l g r i m where he may
serves as a communal g a t h e r i n g a r e a f o r the
view the c r y p t or await
which abuts the narthex
and
sanctuary.
i l l u m i n a t i o n than the nave and
a s i d e a i s l e and
a c c e s s i b l e from the
With reduced
sanctuary,
h e i g h t and
chapel
less
intense
the p i l g r i m ' s space resembles
i s manifestly subordinate
focused on the major a l t a r .
e n t r y to the s m a l l e r
to the major c e r e m o n i a l
T h i s i s p e r f e c t l y i n keeping
areas
w i t h the h i e r a r c h y
i n t e r p r e t e d by those w i t h i n the l i t u r g i c a l movement a s s o c i a t e d w i t h
47
Schwartz,
f o r whom the c o l l e c t i v e events
of the supreme s i g n i f i c a n c e .
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the a l t a r
The p i l g r i m ' s space, a c t i o n s , and
are
importance
are a c c o r d i n g l y l e s s c e l e b r a t e d .
Few
c o n c l u s i o n s about l a t e n i n e t e e n t h and
church b u i l d i n g i n France
i t w i l l be noted
twentieth century
pilgrimage
can be drawn from a mere s i x examples.
However,
that i n these s i x a g r e a t v a r i e t y of s p a t i a l c o n f i g u r a -
t i o n s were d e v i s e d to accommodate p i l g r i m a g e p r a c t i c e w i t h i n an
framework or concept
of p a r i s h church b u i l d i n g s :
existing
the lower church,
the
simple a d d i t i o n of a l t a r s , the r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of a s i d e a l t a r or a
porch.
They a l s o show much i n g e n u i t y i n s i t i n g and
landscaping.
g r o t t o b a s i l i c a of Sainte-Baume appears l e s s dependent upon, and
Only the
less
d e r i v a t i v e o f , more c o n v e n t i o n a l b a s i l i c a p l a n s , yet even here the
t r a d i t i o n of the catacombs i s an obvious
precedent.
p i l g r i m a g e churches were l i k e l y i n f o r m a t i v e sources
Lourdes was
common knowledge i n France
Three of
f o r Le
a t t h a t time and
used as a term of r e f e r e n c e i n p i l g r i m a g e d i s c u s s i o n .
earliest
these
Corbusier.
i s constantly
A l s o , Lourdes
was
43
then e x p e r i e n c i n g renewed p i l g r i m a g e i n t e r e s t a n d , w i t h i n
too r e q u i r e d a new, l a r g e r b a s i l i c a .
t h e decade, i t
Le C o r b u s i e r read and marked p e r t i n e n t
48
s e c t i o n s about p i l g r i m a g e i n t h e manual a v a i l a b l e f o r p i l g r i m s t o Ronchamp.
As t h e a r c h i t e c t - i n - c h i e f f o r S a i n t e Baume, he would have been made aware
of p i l g r i m a g e p r a c t i c e s .
Indeed, a 1948 p u b l i c a t i o n about the p r o j e c t
49
which Le C o r b u s i e r possessed
e x p l a i n e d them.
T r o u i n a t Sainte-Baume r e s u l t e d i n h i s access
His c o l l a b o r a t i o n with
t o a t l e a s t those
pilgrimage
p r a c t i c e s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h Mary Magdelene.
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s p l a n f o r p i l g r i m a g e
ritual
Notre-Dame-du-Haut has, w i t h i n i t s t r a p e z o i d a l p l a n , s p a t i a l
s i o n s i n t i m a t i n g those o f a t r a d i t i o n a l church:
l a r g e c e n t r a l h a l l c u l m i n a t i n g i n a sanctuary
convenient
divi-
eastern o r i e n t a t i o n , a
i n the east end, a s a c r i s t y
t o the a l t a r , and v e s t i g e s o f a western narthex, c l e r e s t o r y
l i g h t i n g , a south a i s l e , and a f o r e c o u r t ( F i g . 9 ) .
from t h e n o r t h and south r e c a l l the convenient
Lateral
p l a n n i n g f o r monks and
c l e r g y which can be n o t i c e d i n many monastery churches.
of t h e geometric
c o n f i g u r a t i o n o f the p l a n , w i t h curved
and n o r t h , simply
The c o m p l i c a t i o n
spaces t o west
serves p i l g r i m a g e needs by p r o v i d i n g t h r e e a d d i t i o n a l
a l t a r s and s e v e r a l p r i v a t e e n c l o s u r e s .
parvis f r o n t s the
entrances
ceremonial
tends from the east facade.
On t h e e x t e r i o r , a s h e l t e r e d
doorway on the south and a l a r g e porch exL i k e the nearby h o s t e l , these
amenities
accommodate the p i l g r i m i n a v e r y p r a c t i c a l way.
S e v e r a l paths ascend the h i l l t o p
one
s i t e , one from the c a r p a r k below,
from t h e p r i e s t ' s house t o t h e west, and another
from the h o s t e l be-
low t h e r i m o f t h e h i l l b u t t r e s s i n g t h e grass p a r v i s t o t h e east
(Fig.10.).
44
T h i s p l a n evidences
c o u l d be walked up
l a t i o n was
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s concern
t o , through,
and
around.
to d e s i g n a c h a p e l
that
The p r o v i s i o n f o r circumambu-
not t y p i c a l of r e c e n t e c c l e s i a s t i c a l a r c h i t e c t u r e and was
not
a d i s c e r n a b l e d e s i g n f e a t u r e of the s i x p i l g r i m a g e churches a l r e a d y
cussed,
although
p r o c e s s i o n i s d i s c u s s e d a t Ronchamp and
dis-
Lourdes.
T h i s i s d e s p i t e the f a c t t h a t canon law p r e s c r i b e s t h a t a zone of f r e e
space surround a church
c i r c l i n g the church
e d i f i c e when p o s s i b l e , and
t h a t the custom of
en-
as p a r t of r e l i g i o u s p r o c e s s i o n a l has always been
common."
U n c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y f o r the time, he designed
although none had
a hostel for v i s i t o r s ,
e x i s t e d on the s i t e previously."''''
Le C o r b u s i e r was
also
c a r e f u l to accommodate i n t o h i s d e s i g n a s h e l t e r e d e x t e r i o r s a n c t u a r y
s u i t a b l e f o r the ceremonials
and
l a r g e congregation
of p i l g r i m s on
September
52
8, and
o t h e r s p e c i a l f e s t i v e days c e l e b r a t e d a n n u a l l y .
On
such days
o t h e r s , the p l a s t i c i t y of the c h a p e l i n v i t e s approach, c i r c u m v e n t i o n ,
u l t i m a t e entrance
and
and
through the south or n o r t h door.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, l i k e i t s p i l g r i m a g e p r e c u r s o r s at Compostela
and
elsewhere, i s a m u l t i - c h a p e l l e d c h a p e l .
t r a d i t i o n , the e a r l i e r church
undoubtedly had
sanctuary
In a d d i t i o n t o t h i s
general
on the s i t e w i t h i t s e a s t e r n porch and
ramps
some i n f l u e n c e on Le C o r b u s i e r ' s d e s i g n of the e x t e r i o r
as i s demonstrated by a comparison of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s drawings of
the s i t e showing the o l d e r church w i t h those of the s i t e showing h i s
maquette ( F i g . 11).
Of h i s own
plicit
and
t h e r e i s no
i n i a t i v e Le C o r b u s i e r sought to i n c l u d e o t h e r l e s s
l e s s t a n g i b l e p i l g r i m a g e accoutrements and
symbols.
i n d i c a t i o n t h a t the p a t r o n r e q u i r e d the i n c l u s i o n of
c h a p e l s , a number so important
i n church
For
exexample,
three
symbolism, or the i n c l u s i o n of
45
such p i l g r i m a g e symbols as the s h e l l found
although
the h o s t e l and
guardian's
house were q u i t e suddenly
v e n i e n t l y proposed by Cure Bourdin,
i n c l u d i n g p i c n i c t a b l e s and
on the east door.
Also,
and
incon-
Le C o r b u s i e r e l a b o r a t e d on the demand,
r e l i g i o u s murals.
53
It i s l i k e l y that
accoutrements were added on the b a s i s of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s own
these
experience
54
and
a n a l y s i s of the problem.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s f i r s t n o t i c e d from a f a r as a w h i t e form
perched
on the h i g h r i d g e above the v i l l a g e of Ronchamp, a s m a l l , b a r e l y modernized
v i l l a g e 90 k i l o m e t e r s from the French-Swiss border
P a r i s , i t s p o p u l a t i o n i n 1948
b e i n g about 1,864."'"'
and
440 k i l o m e t e r s from
L i k e the
p i l g r i m a g e monuments of the p a s t , i t dominates the landscape.
the h i l l
religious
One
ascends
131 meters to Nc3tre-Dame-du-Haut on f o o t , f o l l o w i n g a rough road
56
of
r e d dust and
loose
stones.
C l o s e r approach r e v e a l s a rounded w h i t e tower t h r u s t i n g upward
and
a l a r g e expanse of white w a l l etched w i t h the dark v o i d s of windows and
sweeping outward i n a l a r g e concave a r c to the s o u t h e a s t ( F i g . 1 2 ) .
The
tower and w a l l are p a r t e d by the b r i g h t l y - p a i n t e d door s u r f a c e and i t s
w a l l of "en b r u t " c o n c r e t e above.
A l a r g e brown-grey eave p r o t r u d e s
the top of the white w a l l and door a r e a and
then s l i p s behind
from
the tower.
At t h i s d i s t a n c e , about twenty y a r d s , the path d i v i d e s , o f f e r i n g
three a l t e r n a t i v e s .
One
l e a d s to the east a c r o s s a broad
flat plain - a
c o u n t r y s i d e p a r v i s - to where the c u r v i n g w h i t e w a l l q u i c k l y becomes a
sharp v e r t i c a l u r g i n g one's p r o g r e s s
concave space formed by the curved
and
towards the n o r t h e a s t .
east w a l l , the angled
the e n l a r g e d column i n the n o r t h e a s t .
Beyond i s a
south spur w a l l ,
The p l a t f o r m beneath i s s h e l -
t e r e d by the extended eave which soars above these s u p p o r t s .
Within
an a l t a r , p u l p i t , c h o i r l o f t , bench, s a c r i s t y , and a s t a t u e of the
are
Virgin
46
and
C h i l d i n a prominently displayed glass niche.
T h i s i s the e s s e n t i a l
i n church f u r n i t u r e ( F i g . 13).
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , a path f o l l o w s the curve of the tower w a l l to the west.
Continuing
i n t h i s d i r e c t i o n , one
first
passes a f o u n t a i n beneath a
gar-
goyle, b o l d l y t h r u s t i n g from the d i p p i n g r o o f l i n e , a n d then a rounded
t r u s i o n which i s the c o n f e s s i o n a l w i t h i n the west w a l l
( F i g . 14).
pro-
The
curve of the w a l l p r o p e l s movement around the c h a p e l
toward the n o r t h
the v e r t i c a l accent
( F i g . 15).
of the n o r t h door i s encountered
i s i n s e r t e d w i t h i n two
rounded w h i t e b a s t i o n s and
l i n e s of the expansion j o i n t s etched
Further
concrete
a g a i n s t the e d i f i c e , a n d the w a l l , p e r f o r a t e d w i t h
a b r u p t l y and
to curve and beckon
dark
( F i g . 15).
stairway
i s perched
the s m a l l dark v o i d s
The w a l l
of
terminates
the suddenness i s emphasised by the c o n t i n u i n g brown-grey
eave c a n t i l e v e r e d beyond.
revealed,
and
sanctuary
comes f u l l y
Past
t h i s p o i n t the whole of the open p a r v i s i s
from the t i e r e d s t e p s of the memorial pyramid the e x t e r i o r
i n t o view ( F i g . 1 6 ) .
expanding and
c o n t r a c t i n g forms and
the s p e c t a t o r
i n a v i s u a l way
The
door
w i t h i n them.
to the n o r t h , a t h i n metal and
windows, c o n t i n u e s
framed by the
The
until
In t h i s way
Notre-Dame-du-Haut's
interspersed punctuating
to enact a symbolic
details
pilgrimage.
t h i r d avenue i s the middle and broadest path which l e a d s
to the s h e l t e r e d south p a r v i s and
the c o l o u r e d
green s i d e l i g h t s , t h a t beckons w i t h
impel
directly
door, f l a n k e d by red
i t s s t r i d e n t motifs
and
of hands and
stars.
T h i s i s the c e r e m o n i a l door which a l l o w s passage d i r e c t l y to the nave ( F i g .
1,7).
Passing
and
through the c e r e m o n i a l door, one
enters
the r e a r of the nave
i s h e l d i n a c o l l e c t i n g a r e a , or n a r t h e x ( F i g . 9 j ) .
t u r n i n g r i g h t , one
sees the nave extend and
A f t e r pausing
expand eastward
( F i g . 18).
and
47
The s a n c t u a r y i s e a s i l y r e c o g n i z e d by i t s s e p a r a t i o n w i t h i n the e a s t e r n
e x t r e m i t y of the nave, i t s s a n c t i t y and
t r a d i t i o n a l c o n f i g u r a t i o n acknow-
ledged by the a t t e n u a t e d h o r i z o n t a l communion r a i l ,
and
the s l i g h t
ten
c e n t i m e t e r e l e v a t i o n of the s a n c t u a r y f l o o r w i t h i t s d i f f e r e n t i a t e d
The a l t a r i s a simple r e c t a n g u l a r s l a b of white
r e c t a n g u l a r end
arranged
The
stone supported
on
paving.
two
s t o n e s , which i n t u r n r e s t upon f o u r r e c t a n g u l a r stones
i n a Modular-derived
p a t t e r n and p l a c e d d i r e c t l y on the
e s s e n t i a l c u l t items accompany the a l t a r :
bell,
paving.^
c l o t h , candles, por-
t a b l e t a b e r n a c l e above, and window n i c h e w i t h the s t a t u e of the V i r g i n
the Cross behind.
The
C r o s s , P a s c h a l c a n d l e , and
s t a t u e of the V i r g i n a r e
d i r e c t l y b e f o r e the p i l g r i m a t the south door when t u r n e d toward the
Thus the o b j e c t sought
and
i n p i l g r i m a g e i s d i r e c t l y and v i s i b l y
altar.
accessible.
The placement of the P a s c h a l c a n d l e b e f o r e the s t a t u e of the V i r g i n , a t
the meeting of the nave and
tionals.
s a n c t u a r y , a l l o w s o r d e r l y f u l f i l l m e n t of devo-
Tapers a r e p l a c e d nearby on a ledge a f f o r d e d by the window
em-
brasure.
During f e s t i v i t i e s one proceeds
d i r e c t l y to t h i s Pashcal candle
o f f e r s p r a y e r s ; the purpose of one's quest accomplished,
from the southeast door.
l i g h t and
light
then
from the V i r g i n ' s n i c h e , then t o the f i l e
of l i g h t
i n the southeast c o r n e r , and f i n a l l y
t o the r a d i a n c e of
coming from
space of the e x t e r i o r
the
to one's r e l e a s e through
the c o n s t r i c t e d east doorway which l e a d s one out of the c h a p e l i n t o
expansive
exit
T h i s path has been guided by the p a t t e r n of
c o l o u r along" the south w a l l which l e a d s f i r s t
brise-soleil,
one may
and
the
church.
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , e n t r a n c e through
the n o r t h door c o n f r o n t s one
w i t h the expanse of joyous c o l o u r , form, and phrases w r i t t e n on the
windows and o f t e n p r o j e c t e d by the sun onto the nave f l o o r
directly
south
( F i g . 19).
48
Nearby, to t h e r i g h t , t h e two s i d e c h a p e l s and west c o n f e s s i o n a l s a r e
e a s i l y reached
( F i g . 9 ) . An a d d i t i o n a l c h a p e l l i e s d i r e c t l y on t h e l e f t ,
to the e a s t , w i t h i n t h e n o r t h w a l l .
room, pews, and t h e major a l t a r .
F u r t h e r east i s t h e nave w i t h
T h i s n o r t h entrance
standing
i s used mainly f o r
58
everyday
services,
and accommodates t h e more common r i t u a l s of communal
worship which a r e c e n t e r e d on t h e a l t a r ,
private devotions.
the E u c h a r i s t , c o n f e s s i o n , and
A c r o s s of b l a c k c o n c r e t e , embedded w i t h i n the p a v i n g ,
s y m b o l i c a l l y d i r e c t s one t o t h e a l t a r s s i t u a t e d a t each o f i t s t h r e e extremities
(Fig. 9).
The
c l e r g y a r e p r o v i d e d w i t h a p r i v a t e entrance through
the three-
s t o r e y s a c r i s t y and lounge w i t h i n t h e n o r t h w a l l s a d j a c e n t t o t h e s a n c t u ary and an e x t e r i o r s a c r i s t y w i t h i n t h e w a l l - e n c a s e d
column i n t h e n o r t h e a s t
corner.
elevated p u l p i t s ,
The r e q u i s i t e church f u r n i t u r e i s p r e s e n t :
c h o i r l o f t s , convenient
surfaces suitable for placing r i t u a l
implements,
a s p e c i a l l y - d e s i g n e d Paschal candle f o r c e l e b r a t i o n s , a p o r t a b l e tabern a c l e , and i n t h e e x t e r i o r s a n c t u a r y , a s e d i l e f o r t h e c e r e m o n i a l pomp
of f e s t i v e days.
The
i n t e r i o r s p a t i a l arrangements i n d i c a t e t h a t two d i s t i n c t
t i o n s have been accommodated i n two i n t e g r a t e d spaces.
an i n n e r church c o n v e n i e n t l y arranged
Eucharist.
First
func-
t h e r e appears
f o r t h e common c e l e b r a t i o n of t h e
The c h a p e l o f t h e southwest tower may a l s o serve as a b a p t i s -
t e r y / c h a p e l ; i t s p r o x i m i t y t o t h e n a r t h e x a r e a of t h e church and t o the
c e r e m o n i a l door suggests
t h e t r a d i t i o n a l and f u n c t i o n a l p o s i t i o n i n g o f
chapels f o r t h i s p u r p o s e . ^
different
Each of t h e t h r e e c h a p e l s , because of t h e i r
s i z e s , a l l o w o p t i m a l accommodation f o r a v a r i e t y of group
With i t s s a c r i s t y , p u l p i t , c o n f e s s i o n a l s , and
Notre-Dame-du-Haut f u l f i l l s
sizes.
l a t e r i t s own r e s i d e n t p r i e s t , ^
t h e s p a t i a l requirements
of t h e p a r i s h church.
49
I t l a c k s o n l y a mortuary c h a p e l , which i s p r o v i d e d by the church i n the
village.
Secondly,
to r e l i c
for.
the spaces planned
i n the s a n c t u a r y and
f o r access from entrance through
e x i t demonstrate the o t h e r f u n c t i o n planned
In a d d i t i o n , t h e r e i s the e x t e r i o r church w i t h i t s own
p i t , and
mittent
c h o i r l o f t and
altar,
c e r t a i n rearrangements to f a c i l i t a t e the
l a r g e g a t h e r i n g s which p i l g r i m a g e a t t r a c t s .
ary accommodates i t s f u n c t i o n s much more amply and
more
expansive
The e x t e r i o r
sanctu-
c o n v e n i e n t l y and
in a
The
form of the e a s t e r n s h e l t e r o f f e r s much b e t t e r v i s i b i l i t y
than t h a t of the p r e v i o u s church w i t h i t s m a s s i v e l y d e f i n e d and
porch.
pul-
inter-
i n t e g r a t e d manner than d i d the porch of the p r e v i o u s church.
open and
nave
enclosed
A l s o , g r e a t e r a u d i b i l i t y i s a c h i e v e d by the e l e v a t e d placement
of the p u l p i t and
c h o i r l o f t near
the upward-canted, s o u n d - r e f l e c t i n g s u r -
f a c e of the eave than would be p o s s i b l e i n the p r e v i o u s p o r c h .
A m a s t e r l y i n t e r w e a v i n g of f u n c t i o n a l and p o e t i c aims i s i l l u s t r a t e d
repeatedly.
One
such s y n t h e s i s i s evidenced
i n the nave where the b l a n k -
ness of the n o r t h w a l l p r o s a i c a l l y s h e l t e r s p r i v a t e d e v o t i o n and
p r e p a r a t i o n from the view of worshippers
occupying the nave and
ceremonial
poetically
s h i e l d s the l i g h t o r c h e s t r a t e d on the south w a l l from a competing c r o s s light
t h a t would rob i t of i t s i n t e n s i t y .
c l e r g y to appear from the s a c r i s t y suddenly
the drama of t h e i r entrance.
i s found
L i k e w i s e , the a b i l i t y of the
in full
ceremonial
heightens
Another s y n t h e s i s of f u n c t i o n and
i n the c o i n c i d e n c e of the r o o f and d r a i n a g e w i t h the
poetry
ancillary
c i s t e r n so t h a t the normal f u n c t i o n of water d r a i n a g e i s made symbolic
the f o u n t a i n - l i k e r e c e p t a c l e f e d by an exaggerated
by
f e s t i v e rooftop gargoyle.
But perhaps the g r e a t e s t i n t e r w e a v i n g of f u n c t i o n and p o e t r y l i e s i n the
p l a n n i n g of the o r i e n t a t i o n of the c h a p e l .
Not
o n l y were the
practical
50
c o n s i d e r a t i o n s a r i s i n g from t h e use o f n a t u r a l l i g h t pursued, but so
too were t h e symbolic
use w i t h
light.
considerations
i n the c o o r d i n a t i o n o f space and i t s
( T h i s w i l l be developed l a t e r i n t h e chapter
The v e r t i c a l o r g a n i z a t i o n o f space i s as s i g n i f i c a n t
tal
apportionment
on l i g h t . )
as i t s h o r i z o n -
( F i g . 20). The two-storey s a c r i s t y and lounge a r e s k i l l -
f u l l y compacted w i t h i n t h e main volume o f t h e b u i l d i n g and enjoy easy
access
to various r e l a t e d functions.
intended
p l a c e s without i n t e r f e r i n g w i t h
i s a l s o evidenced i n t h e s i d e c h a p e l
serves
P r i e s t and c h o i r can move t o t h e i r
each o t h e r .
Vertical
planning
t u r r e t s where t h e i n c r e a s e d
height
t o d i f f u s e t h e i n t e n s i t y o f l i g h t , t o d i f f e r e n t i a t e the c h a p e l
from the nave i n terms o f l i g h t q u a l i t y , to g i v e a sense o f g r e a t e r
to t h e s m a l l space, and t o express t h e presence o f t h e chapels
extent
on t h e
exterior.
The
numerous e l e v a t i o n s and c r o s s - s e c t i o n s n e c e s s a r y t o g i v e a com-
prehensive
d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e p l a n n i n g
i n d i c a t e the g r e a t
of the chapel
i n vertical
extent
concern f o r t h i s dimension i n t h e d e s i g n o f t h e c h a p e l .
planned h i s f o u r bounding w a l l s , c e i l i n g , and f l o o r
to b e t t e r
accommodate, " p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l l y " and s y m b o l i c a l l y , h i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s
of the f u n c t i o n s t o be performed w i t h i n .
The
c e i l i n g height
altar r a i l .
d i p s t o f o u r meters f i f t y - t w o c e n t i m e t e r s
This i s s i g n i f i c a n t
of man meeting God.
One example w i l l demonstrate t h i s .
Likewise,
i n i t s connotation
at the
o f e a r t h meeting sky,
the e v o c a t i o n o f c o n s t r i c t i o n , induced
p h y s i c a l l y , r e c a l l s the s p i r i t u a l c o n s t r i c t i o n d e s c r i b e d by Rudolf Otto
62
as accompanying t h e experience
of t h e "mysterium tremendum".
of t h i s f o u r meter f i f t y - t w o c e n t i m e t e r h e i g h t w i t h
The c o n t r a s t
t h e expanded space, the
g r e a t e r amount o f c l e a r white and i n t e n s e l i g h t , and t h e symbols o f E u c h a r i s t ,
m e d i a t i o n , and redemption i n t h e s a n c t u a r i e s beyond, emphasise t h i s
51
confrontation.
Le C o r b u s i e r i n d i c a t e d i n many r e f e r e n c e s t o the c h a p e l
that such an u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h i s s p a t i a l c o n f i g u r a t i o n was
his intention.
63
The i n t e r i o r was
the p l a c e where one
"was
alone w i t h o n e s e l f "
s t r u g g l e of a s p i r i t u a l q u a l i t y i s i n t i m a t e d .
has
s u r e l y been Le C o r b u s i e r ' s i n t e n t i o n .
Thus a symbolic
and
a
space
Moreover, Abbe B o l l e - R e d d a t
64
r e a d i l y understood
and promoted t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the space.
The
p l a n of Notre-Dame-du-Haut m a n i f e s t s a concern w i t h the symbolic, n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g the h i g h degree of f u n c t i o n a l i t y shown to e x i s t i n the d e s i g n .
The t r a d i t i o n a l arrangements i n the i n n e r - c h u r c h c o n f i g u r a t i o n have b o t h
t h e i r f u n c t i o n a l and symbolic r o l e s .
So too does the s c u l p t u r a l
treatment
of the p l a n t h a t prompts the enactment of a symbolic p r o c e s s i o n .
approach on f o o t , the h o s t e l , the p r o l i f e r a t i o n of a l t a r s , spaces,
The
and
access r o u t e s , the g r o t t o - l i k e aspect of the e x t e r i o r s a n c t u a r y , the
f i s s u r e s o f l i g h t , the c e r e m o n i a l a c c e n t s , the d e p a r t u r e from
i n order to evoke the p e c u l i a r i t i e s of the s i t e , and
convention
the s e n s i t i v i t y t o
p o p u l a r p r a c t i c e s and c e l e b r a t i o n a r e a l l marks of the p i l g r i m a g e t r a d i t i o n .
52
CHAPTER IV
CONSTRUCTION, MATERIALS, AND THE CREATION OF FORM
D e s p i t e the c o m p l e x i t y o f i t s g e n e r a l appearance,Notre-Dame-du-Haut
i s b a s i c a l l y a r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e post-and-beam s t r u c t u r e c o n s i s t i n g o f
f o u r t e e n major supports embedded w i t h i n t h e n o r t h ( i n t e r i o r ) w a l l and
the south
( e x t e r i o r ) w a l l , w i t h one o f the major supports v i s i b l e i n t h e
e x t e r i o r sanctuary
i s comprised
(Figs.
9, 13). ^
The r o o f , i n c l u d i n g c e i l i n g and eaves,
o f seven f l a t beams r u n n i n g n o r t h - s o u t h supported by t h e
f o u r t e e n p o s t s w i t h numerous " p o u t r e l l e s " , o r s m a l l l a t e r a l
s p a c i n g beams
2
between.
The beams v a r y s i g n i f i c a n t l y i n l e n g t h , depth, and shape.
They
c a n t i l e v e r beyond t h e s u p p o r t i n g n o r t h ( i n t e r i o r ) w a l l and t e r m i n a t e a t
the e n v e l o p i n g n o r t h ( e x t e r i o r ) w a l l .
W i t h i n t h e s h e l t e r i n g span o f t h e
c a n t i l e v e r e d beams, Le C o r b u s i e r has c r e a t e d t h e space f o r s i d e c h a p e l s ,
lounge, and s a c r i s t i e s
( F i g . 2 0 ) . On t h e south, t h e ends o f t h e c a n t i l e v e r e d
beams support t h e s u p e r s t r u c t u r e which forms t h e enormous eave o f t h e south
and west f a c a d e s .
I t i s w i t h t h i s simple s o l u t i o n t h a t t h e r o o f i s made
to soar and the w a l l s a r e f r e e d t o curve and l e a n .
The south w a l l i s composed o f f i v e r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e , i n v e r t e d Vshaped supports which v a r y from a t h i c k n e s s of 3.7 meters a t t h e base t o a
3
w i d t h o f 1.4 t o 1.5 c e n t i m e t e r s a t the top ( F i g . 2 1 ) .
r o o f and a secondary
These support t h e
framework c o n s i s t i n g o f angled h o r i z o n t a l crossbeams
from which an expanded metal mesh i s hung.
A 4 centimeter l a y e r of gunnite
has been sprayed on t h e w i r e mesh t o c r e a t e t h e bays, deep embrasures, and
s p l a y s which break up the i n t e r i o r w a l l but o n l y m i n i m a l l y puncture t h e
4
facade.
The s i z e , depth, and angle of each a p e r t u r e i s c o n t r o l l e d i n
53
t h i s way.
i n t o and
Consequently,
the amount and
d i r e c t i o n of n a t u r a l l i g h t
flowing
r e f l e c t e d from t h i s m e d i a t i n g w a l l i s r e g u l a t e d .
U n l i k e the v a r i e d c o n c r e t e p o s t s t h a t are used i n the south w a l l ,
those of the n o r t h
section.^
( i n t e r i o r ) w a l l a r e standard
Those embedded w i t h i n the n o r t h
are a l s o of standard
square
section.
wall.
The
(exterior),
f o r the masonry r u b b l e
used as i n f i l l .
i n t o these w a l l s are i n the east w a l l and
square
( e x t e r i o r ) , e a s t , and west w a l l s
The p o s t s i n the n o r t h
e a s t , and west w a l l s a c t as r e i n f o r c e m e n t
from the p r e v i o u s church which was
c o n c r e t e p o s t s of
salvaged
The o n l y a p e r t u r e s s e t
the e a s t e r n p o r t i o n of the n o r t h
l i g h t which p e n e t r a t e s them i s m o d i f i e d d i f f e r e n t l y than
l i g h t from the south w a l l .
The a p e r t u r e s i n the east w a l l c o n s i s t of s m a l l ,
unglazed
v o i d s l e f t by the o m i s s i o n of stones
w a l l and
a s i n g l e window box
e x t e r i o r , w i t h g l a s s panes.
the
i n the e n c l o s i n g masonry
framed w i t h c o n c r e t e and
faced, i n t e r i o r
Those on the n o r t h a r e formed by
angled
c o n c r e t e embrasures of v a r i o u s s p l a y s w i t h i n the masonry r u b b l e w a l l .
v o i d s , which d i f f e r
are g l a z e d .
light
slightly
Their
e x t e r i o r surface areas,
C o n v e n t i o n a l windows set i n t o the masonry r u b b l e w a l l a l l o w
i n t o the s a c r i s t y and
The
i n t h e i r i n t e r i o r and
and
lounge on the n o r t h . ^
seven major beams of the r o o f a r e sandwiched between membranes
of r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e 6 c e n t i m e t e r s t h i c k i n order to c r e a t e the
hollow
g
roof.
The beams and
lower membrane were poured s i m u l t a n e o u s l y and became
the p l a t f o r m t o support
t a t e workmen.
9
The
the formwork f o r the upper membrane and
r o o f was
then waterproofed.
half-domes a r e a l s o f a s h i o n e d from a combination
concrete.
and
10
The
The
towers w i t h
facilitheir
of r u b b l e and r e i n f o r c e d
The w a l l s are of r u b b l e masonry strengthened
the domes a r e of r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e . ^
to
by r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e ,
complexity
of c o n s t r u c t i n g
r u b b l e masonry v a u l t s to c r e a t e the half-domes of the s i d e c h a p e l s
was
54
thus e l i m i n a t e d by t h e e a s i e r t e c h n i q u e o f r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e .
On i t s completion
i n 1955 t h i s s t r u c t u r a l system o f mixed
g i e s and m a t e r i a l s was q u e s t i o n e d
technolo-
and t h e c h a p e l was i n t e r p r e t e d as an
abandonment o f t h e t e c h n o l o g i c a l b a s i s claimed f o r a r c h i t e c t u r e p r i o r to
12
World War I I .
I t was a l s o seen as a new d e p a r t u r e
i n d e s i g n f o r Le
13
Corbusier.
Two i s s u e s a r i s e .
To what extent i s t h e complex image p r e -
sented and i t s c o n s t i t u e n t p a r t s a response
what extent does i t d e r i v e i t s c o m p l e x i t y
t o imposed l i m i t a t i o n s and to
from a new d e s i g n p r o c e s s and
changed a r c h i t e c t u r a l i n t e n t i o n s imposed by Le C o r b u s i e r .
The
s i t e o f f e r e d some l i m i t a t i o n s t o m a t e r i a l s and c o n s t r u c t i o n .
It was i n a c c e s s i b l e t o heavy t r a n s p o r t v e h i c l e s and encumbered by t h e d e b r i s
14
of an e x i s t i n g b u i l d i n g .
Because o f s t i p u l a t i o n s made f o r the award of
i n d e m n i t i e s , t h e r u b b l e from t h e e x i s t i n g church had t o be salvaged, but t h e
poor road and c o s t s made i t i m p o s s i b l e t o r e m o v e . ^
ment of t h e p a r i s h , the indemnity
Due t o t h e i m p o v e r i s h -
was c r u c i a l t o the p r o j e c t and i t s s t i p u 16
l a t i o n s , o f n e c e s s i t y , accommodated.
The r u b b l e was l a t e r found
t o be of
such poor q u a l i t y and i r r e g u l a r i t y t h a t o r i g i n a l p l a n s t o l e a v e i t exposed
on i n t e r i o r w a l l s and paving was a b a n d o n n e d . ^
r e d u c t i o n s i n budget may have caused
C o n t i n u a l and unexpected
g r e a t e r r e s t r i c t i o n s on m a t e r i a l s and
18
e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n w i t h new e n g i n e e r i n g developments.
Other p o s s i b l e sources of l i m i t a t i o n s were c o n d i t i o n s i n h e r e n t i n the
c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y i n post-war France and b i a s e s w i t h i n the French Roman
C a t h o l i c Church.
The c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y i n France was slow to r e c o v e r
a f t e r World War I I and, although
t h e r e was a s t r o n g d e s i r e t o e x p l o r e t h e
p o s s i b i l i t i e s of r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e i n l a r g e spans and s h e l l
construc-
t i o n i n o r d i n a r y b u i l d i n g , and thus c o n t i n u e t h e p i o n e e r i n g work done i n
i n d u s t r i a l b u i l d i n g b e f o r e 1920 by F r e y s i n n e t and M a i l l a r t ,
the l a c k o f
55
support from industry and science frustrated t h i s .
older technologies were revived.
19
Consequently, many
Le Corbusier's schemes using rammed earth
20
for emergency post-war housing i s an example of t h i s .
Government pro-
j e c t s , such as Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation, M a r s e i l l e s , were as much
an attempt to inspire the private sector of the lagging construction industry,
and to present an image of reconstruction vigour, as they were an attempt
21
to supply necessary housing accommodation.
Also, the use of p r e f a b r i -
cated structural components at Notre-Dame-du-Haut would have been economi22
c a l l y unwise due to the small scale of the project.
Lightweight s t e e l was
economically unfeasible i n France at that time, although Le Corbusier was
23
interested i n employing i t .
The correspondence between Canon Ledeur and Le Corbusier discloses
no o f f i c i a l l i m i t a t i o n other than economy was imposed on materials and con24
struction methods.
Nor were s t y l i s t i c prohibitions to be expected
the Besancon Commission and those i n f l u e n t i a l within i t .
from
Indeed, Canon
Ledeur had remarked that i t was precisely on the known 'style' of the a r t i s t
25
that he was to be chosen.
Nor would exposed reinforced concrete have
been without examples i n French Catholic Church construction.
Saint-Jean-1'Evangelist
De Baudot's
(1903) displayed i t s barren reinforced concrete
A
26
frame on the i n t e r i o r and Perret's Notre-Dame-du-Raincy did so throughout.
However, both of these, and most that followed, retained obvious reminiscences of past styles within their reinforced concrete frameworks.
H.-R.
Hitchcock termed such s t y l i s t i c conservatism "twentieth century t r a d i t i o n a l sented i n forms, applied decoration, and often surfacing materials: Notreism" which he characterized as having obvious h i s t o r27i c a l allusions preDame-du-Raincy and Saint-Jean allude to the Gothic.
"Twentieth
t r a d i t i o n a l i s m " was ubiquitous i n pre-World War II French
century
ecclesiastical
56
building.
28
Moreover, t h i s c o n s e r v a t i s m
prominent and
had
strong supporters
among
i n f l u e n t i a l French C a t h o l i c a r c h i t e c t s immediately f o l l o w i n g
29
World War
II.
S i g n i f i c a n t l y , t h e r e was
an a c t i v e , o f f i c i a l l y
supported,
and n u m e r i c a l l y predominant s e c t i o n of the French C a t h o l i c p o p u l a t i o n
who
30
opposed b o t h r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e and n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l a r c h i t e c t u r e .
Although r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e
formed the major s u p p o r t i n g
o f t e n supplemented b r i c k , masonry, and wood, or
framework, i t was
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y hidden
31
beneath a d e c o r a t i v e a p p l i c a t i o n of s u r f a c i n g m a t e r i a l s .
and
c u b i c churches openly
built
e x h i b i t i n g t h e i r use
i n Germany and S w i t z e r l a n d
32
a f t e r World War
II.
However, s t a r k
of r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e were
d u r i n g the 1920s and
continued
to be
built
B a r t n i g ' s churches, admired by Pere Regamey, were
33
of t h i s type.
A l s o , Le C o r b u s i e r had
essayed a c u b i c church i n the e a r l y
34
1920s.
T h i s suggests t h a t d e s p i t e the l i m i t a t i o n s of s i t e ,
i n d u s t r y , and
austere
the Church, the d e c i s i o n to abandon the development i n
church b u i l d i n g t h a t had
i n d u s t r i a l and
The
funding,
housing
already appropriated
d e s i g n appears to have been Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
i n c o r p o r a t i o n of m a t e r i a l s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h
t e c h n o l o g i e s was
i t s images from
not a new
departure
f o r Le C o r b u s i e r .
choice.
nineteenth-century
He had used
coarse
35
masonry and
exposed timber
framing
i n the E r r a z u r i s house i n
1930.
36
Exposed b r i c k was used f o r i n t e r i o r p a r t i t i o n w a l l s i n h i s own P a r i s s t u d i o .
Economy, a v a i l a b l e work f o r c e , and s c a r c i t y of m a t e r i a l j u s t i f i e d such m a t e r i -
37
a l s i n the former and
elsewhere,
at Notre-Dame-du-Haut as w e l l .
and
suggest t h i s r a t i o n a l e was
Works of the post-World War
showed the use of t r a d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s a l s o .
T h e i r use was
applied
II period
not
restricted
to e x c e p t i o n a l b u i l d i n g programs, but r e p l a c e d r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e
i n d u s t r i a l b u i l d i n g s as w e l l .
concrete
in
Masonry w a l l s d i s p l a y e d w i t h i n exposed
s t r u c t u r a l members were used at the f a c t o r y complex at S t . D i e ,
57
and Le C o r b u s i e r designed
E q u a l l y precedented
r e c o n s t r u c t i o n housing
was
/
38
u s i n g p i s e (rammed e a r t h ) .
the s o p h i s t i c a t e d h a n d l i n g of these m a t e r i a l s .
39
The
Swiss P a v i l i o n
(Paris,1932)
a l s o juxtaposed
masonry w i t h
concrete,
and
the masonry w a l l s a t S t . Die were p r e c i s e l y separated from, and
con-
40
t r a s t e d w i t h , the r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e s t r u c t u r a l members.
of the s t r u c t u r a l r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e one
square,
The neat
framing
sees a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut i n the
s t r i a t e d , c o n c r e t e panels framed above the c e r e m o n i a l door c o r r e -
sponds to t h i s past h a n d l i n g of m a t e r i a l s .
The
e x t e n s i v e use of g u n n i t e s u r f a c i n g was
attempted a t Pessac
and
41
used i n the houses of the 1920s.
Garches, Savoie, and A u t e u i l possessed
a f i n e g u n n i t e s u r f a c e a p p l i e d to the s t r u c t u r a l c o n c r e t e b l o c k used
be-
42
neath.
These s u r f a c e a p p l i c a t i o n s served two
t i o n and
the c r e a t i o n of u n i f i e d
so a g a i n a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
purposes,
weather p r o t e c -
forms w i t h homogenous s u r f a c e s .
They do
A l s o , the w h i t e s u r f a c i n g g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e s
the i l l u m i n a t i o n l e v e l w i t h i n the nave.
D e s p i t e the use of a m a t e r i a l a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the n i n e t e e n t h
the n o v e l t y of the forms, and Le C o r b u s i e r ' s i m p l i e d d e f i n i t i o n of
century,
the
43
c h a p e l as a n o n - u t i l i t a r i a n s t r u c t u r e ,
many of the c o n s t r u c t i o n a l f e a t u r e s
mark t h i s c h a p e l as a modern work.
Features
common to r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e c o n s t r u c t i o n a r e r e c o g n i z a b l e .
Dilation joints articulated
i n the west w a l l i n d i c a t e the use of
beneath the w h i t e g u n n i t e s u r f a c e and
the s h u t t e r i n g p a t t e r n of the under-
s i d e of the eave p r o c l a i m s the poured-concrete
frames the major entrances and
method used.
Exposed
announces i t s use a t the major breaks
e n v e l o p i n g masonry r u b b l e i n f i l l w a l l ( F i g . 12).
i n t h i s way
concrete
By employing
i n the
concrete
the entrances were e a s i l y accommodated i n the d e s i g n and
s t r u c t u r a l frame around them i s i n t i m a t e d .
concrete
the
58
The use of e n g i n e e r s ,
t e c h n i c i a n s , and
computers to render
c o n s t r u c t i o n f e a s i b l e f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut's s i t e and
and
f o r the m a t e r i a l s
craftsmen a v a i l a b l e c l e a r l y show Le C o r b u s i e r ' s c o n t i n u e d
of modern methods and
technology.
other i n d u s t r i a l p r o d u c t s
43
the r o o f
acceptance
So too does the use of g u n n i t e
such as the c a s t - i r o n communion r a i l and
and
hand
44
rails.
Le C o r b u s i e r b e l i e v e d h i s commitment to c o n t i n u a l t e c h n o l o g i -
c a l improvement and
refinement
was
demonstrated a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut by
h i s attempts to r e f i n e g u n n i t e as a s u r f a c i n g m a t e r i a l and h i s i n g e n u i t y
i n c o n s t r u c t i n g the hollow south w a l l which he f e l t was
a needed c o n t r i b u -
t i o n t o t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y a r c h i t e c t u r e and an expansion
of e x i s t i n g t e c h -
45
nologies.
The g l a s s , window m u l l i o n s and transoms, enamelled door p a n e l s ,
and candelabrum a r e a l s o f a c t o r y p r o d u c t s .
However, a l l are e s p e c i a l l y
46
designed
by Le C o r b u s i e r and
C o r b u s i e r ' s ambivalent
are not mass-produced ready-mades.
involvement
w i t h i n d u s t r y - d e s i r i n g the use
Le
of
i n d u s t r i a l l y - p r o d u c e d and p r e f a b r i c a t e d p r o d u c t s y e t d e s i g n i n g h i s own
i s a c o n t i n u a t i o n of past behaviour.
h i s own
statements
Although
-
i t seems to be a d e n i a l of
r e g a r d i n g the n e c e s s i t y to draw upon i n d u s t r y f o r the
components of a r c h i t e c t u r e , such p e r s o n a l i z e d d e s i g n i s a l e g a c y of the
and
arts
c r a f t s a t t i t u d e of the l a t e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y and of the 1920s when
products
e x p r e s s i n g the r e q u i r e d a e s t h e t i c were u n a v a i l a b l e through mass
47
p r o d u c t i o n and were t h e r e f o r e u n a p o l o g e t i c a l l y s i m u l a t e d .
The
c a n t i l e v e r i s another
a r c h i t e c t u r e and
element u b i q u i t o u s i n t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y
i s f u l l y e x p l o i t e d a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
or, the c a n t i l e v e r a l l o w s the economical
l a t e r a l expansion
by the placement of beams, p e r m i t s a v e r t i c a l expansion
The
t h r e e s t o r i e s of the s a c r i s t y ,
of the towers, and
On the
of space
interiand,
as w e l l ( F i g . 20).
the s i n g l e v e r t i c a l l y expanding space
the lower h e i g h t of the n o r t h e a s t c o r n e r a r e f i t w i t h i n
59
the v e r t i c a l posts
t h a t a c t as a s p a c i n g
spaces r e c a l l s C u b i s t and
t i c a l concerns w i t h
framework.
P u r i s t s p a t i a l i d e a s and
T h i s i n t e r l o c k i n g of
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
prac-
space " c e l l s " as c o n s t r u c t i o n modules f o r apartment
48
buildings.
The
c a n t i l e v e r i n g of r o o f beams f r e e s the n o r t h e x t e r i o r
w a l l from a major s u p p o r t i n g
cave shape.
r o l e and
allows
i t to take i t s e x t e r i o r con-
The w a l l i s then a b l e to respond f o r m a l l y to the p r o j e c t i n g
a r c s of the s i d e c h a p e l domes, i n a d d i t i o n t o adding s t a b i l i t y t o
masonry r u b b l e
On
of
walls.
the e x t e r i o r , the c a n t i l e v e r i s used to c r e a t e the emphatic form
the eave, the d i s t i n c t i v e space of the e x t e r i o r s a n c t u a r y ,
south approach, and
t h e t i c and
p s y c h o l o g i c a l response t o s t i m u l i ) .
w a l l s which f i r s t
undulating
Significantly,
has
chapel's
i t is
east
used a d e s i g n
ment, the c a n t i l e v e r , not o n l y f o r i t s s t r u c t u r a l economy and
The
the
(kines-
spaces d e f i n e d by the south and
attract attention.
also for poetic
and
to provoke " p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l " responses
the s o a r i n g r o o f and
but
the
ele-
strength,
expression.
s t r u c t u r e c r e a t e s space and
f i c s evidenced i n e a r l i e r works by Le C o r b u s i e r
forms r e p l e t e w i t h
and
p a r t i c u l a r to
The
o r g a n i z a t i o n of a c e n t r a l n a v e - l i k e space abutted
may
be seen i n the p l a n s
49
f o r the V i l l a
and
the Monul houses.
The
Savoie,
speci-
by
the P a l a c e
him.
c h a p e l - l i k e spaces
of the
sense of asymmetry experienced
Soviets,
e x t e r n a l l y at
No'tre-Dame-du-Haut, e f f e c t e d s c u l p t u r a l l y through v a r i a t i o n s i n h e i g h t ,
s t r u c t u r a l p r o t r u s i o n s , and
and
d i r e c t i v e f o r c e s - was
evidenced as e a r l y as
1922
i n the o r g a n i z a t i o n of l i g h t - i t s m o d e l l i n g
i n t e g r a l to Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
design
sense and
i n the A u t e u i l h o u s e s . A l t e r n a t i v e l y ,
p a r t i c u l a r sense Le C o r b u s i e r
Dame-du-Haut, has
in
had
f o r symmetry, to be d i s c o v e r e d
i t s precedence i n the Swiss P a v i l i o n of 1932
is
the
i n Notre-
and
the
60
Strasbourg p r o j e c t
of
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the
tween r o o f
ports,
and
walls,
1951."^
A d d i t i o n a l l y , two
c h a p e l at Ronchamp, the
and
the b a l a n c i n g
of the most a r r e s t i n g
great
of the r o o f
d i s t i n c t i o n made bestructure
i s presaged r e s p e c t i v e l y at the P a l a c e of the
Soviets
on t h i n supand
the house
52
at Lac
Leman (Lake Geneva).
A l g i e r s and
fencing
i n the
The
curved w a l l has
Swiss P a v i l i o n , i n i n t e r i o r p a r t i t i o n and
the c a n t i l e v e r , and
s u l t i n g f r e e - p l a n , a r c h i t e c t u r a l promenade, and
s p a t i a l f u n c t i o n were important and
tural evolution.
1914
and
The
had
Savoie houses i n the
a s i x - s i d e d box;
skewed,
g u n n i t e and
l i g h t i n g orchestrated
i n t e g r a l to Le
c o n t i n u e d use
54
to
1920s.
Garches,
and
In these houses Le C o r b u s i e r used the
diagramatically
demonstrated as
struc-
initially
Notre-Dame-du-Haut c o n t i n u e s t h i s p r a c t i c e as a modulated,
box.
s o l u t i o n s nor
a radical revolution.
tween the c e i l i n g and
The
a s t a t i c r e a f f i r m a t i o n of p a s t
10 c e n t i m e t e r l i g h t band
w a l l , w i t h g i a n t b r i s e - s o l e i l s and
f u r t h e r m o d i f i e d a e s t h e t i c a l l y to c r e a t e
t i o n a l , and
a e s t h e t i c achievement which d e r i v e d
Zevi points
out,
Stijl
theory and
p l i s h m e n t s , i n c l u d i n g those of Le
However, d e s p i t e
"cube" i s
i s a planning,
i t s premises, as
and
construcBruno
e a r l y t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y accom56
Corbusier.
the many r e l a t i o n s h i p s to be
C o r b u s i e r ' s s t r u c t u r a l means and
of
"rooms t h a t have become f l u i d
f l o w i n a moving c o n t i n u u m " . T h i s
from De
be-
the d e n i a l
o r t h o g o n a l s and r i g h t - a n g l e c o r n e r s are a l l means by which the
and
re-
Corbusier's a r c h i t e c -
i n the A u t e u i l , C i t r o e n ,
Thus Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s n e i t h e r
j o i n up
the
s t r u c t u r a l d e v i c e s evolved from the Dom-Ino s t r u c -
t u r a l d e v i c e s to modulate what he
but
exterior
walls.
Post-and-beam c o n s t r u c t i o n ,
t u r e of
i t s precedence at
remarked between Le
v o c a b u l a r y used at Notre-Dame-du-Haut
61
and
h i s e a r l i e r work, Le C o r b u s i e r
the use
of h i s r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e
that h i s " r e i n f o r c e d concrete
s t r u c t u r e s " * ^ and
was
i n i t i a l l y r e l u c t a n t to pursue
methods f o r the c h a p e l .
methods should
his reluctance
to use
s t r u c t u r e and
o n l y be used f o r u t i l i t a r i a n
them at Ronchamp i m p l i e s t h a t
understood the c o n s t r u c t i o n of a c h a p e l
t i o n to o p e n l y - d i s p l a y e d
to e n t a i l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s
materials.
ences i n e c c l e s i a s t i c a l a r c h i t e c t u r e and
Cathedrals
at Mont Athos, and
i n addi-
experi-
domestic d e s i g n .
such as Notre-Dame of P a r i s and
of Amiens and
he
church program are l e s s known
than h i s e x p e r i e n c e s i n s e c u l a r a r c h i t e c t u r e and
s t r u c t u r e s of the past
H i s comment
Religious
of C h a r t r e s ,
the
of P i s a , Hagia Sophia a t I s t a n b u l , the monastery
various
temples, i n c l u d i n g p r i m i t i v e E g y p t i a n ,
p r o m i n e n t l y i n h i s sketchbooks."^
blanches p o s i t e d c a t h e d r a l s
s c r a p e r s were to be judged.
H i s book Quand l e s c a t h e d r a l e s
as the y a r d s t i c k a g a i n s t which modern
59
His personal
r e l i g i o u s b u i l d i n g s , i n c l u d i n g one
l i b r a r y contains
of Ronchamp which he had
figured
etaient
sky-
h i s t o r i e s of
profusely
60
annotated.
And
i n 1949
expressed h i s s e n s i t i v i t y to church
a r c h i t e c t u r e w i t h h i s response to the war-wrought r u i n s of the St.
Die
cathedral:
The burned c a t h e d r a l , i n r u i n s becomes the l i v i n g t o r c h of
a r c h i t e c t u r e by a d e f e r e n t i a l t a k i n g i n charge of the m i s f o r t u n e s
which have s t r u c k i t . One w i l l make of i t the w i t n e s s of t r a g i c
events to p e r p e t u a t e through time. The r o o f has f a l l e n i n , and
the c h o i r and t r a n s e p t , cut to p i e c e s a g a i n s t the sky a l l o w
through t h e i r jagged shreds of r e d stone a glimpse of mountains
and of waving f o l i a g e of great t r e e s . The nave i s h e n c e f o r t h f u l l
of l i g h t , so t h a t now we s h a l l see c l e a r l y the b e a u t i f u l Romanesque
c a p i t a l s which o b s c u r i t y h i d from our s i g h t . R e i n f o r c e d
concrete,
combined w i t h c l e a r and c o l o u r e d g l a s s o f f e r us the chance of
s a v i n g t h i s and of handing on to the f u t u r e a q u i v e r i n g symphony
of stone and memories.^
So much of t h i s d e s c r i p t i o n c o u l d be a p p l i e d to Le
chapel
at Ronchamp.
Corbusier's
At Notre-Dame-du-Haut the r e d stone of S t . Die i s
62
suggested
i n the r e d n o r t h e a s t c h a p e l , the open r o o f i n the 10
centimeter
gap between c e i l i n g and w a l l s , the waving f o l i a g e i n the p a i n t e d l e a v e s or
the r e a l t r e e s v i s i b l e through
light
e y e - l e v e l , c l e a r g l a s s , and
i n the l i g h t - s p l e n d o u r e d i n t e r i o r .
a nave f u l l
of
F i n a l l y , the o b s e r v a t i o n of
memory-evoking forms made by Le C o r b u s i e r at St. Die appears r e i n s t a t e d
in
the m u l t i - r e v e r e n t i a l forms of Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
While the r u i n s at Ronchamp were not m a g n i f i c i e n t , they, and
of
the s i t e , were s u f f i c i e n t
to s t i r Le C o r b u s i e r ' s i m a g i n a t i o n .
is
shown i n h i s comments e x p r e s s i n g h i s r e a c t i o n to the
accounts
62'
This
site:
In e a r l i e r times pagan temples were b u i l t t h e r e , then C h r i s t i a n
c h a p e l s - p i l g r i m ' s c h a p e l s ; and so d u r i n g the c e n t u r i e s . Wars
one a f t e r another d e s t r o y e d them m e r c i l e s s l y because the " h i g h
p o i n t " of l a n d on which they r e s t e d was a l s o a landmark and an
^
observation post.
I t was the l a s t which d e s t r o y e d the l a s t c h a p e l .
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s sketches
not o n l y h i s i n t e r e s t
of the s i t e
(dated May
1950)
demonstrate
i n the s i t e ' s geography, but a l s o acknowledge t r a d i 64
t i o n a l a r c h i t e c t u r a l forms r e p r e s e n t e d
i n the r u i n s of the former
V e s t i g e s of the l a t t e r appear i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t o the new
The
church.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
i n t e n t i o n of doing so i s i n d i c a t e d by Le C o r b u s i e r ' s l a t e r
juxtapo-
s i t i o n of sketches of the r u i n e d church w i t h those of h i s completed
chapel
65
(Fig.
11).
Moreover, the p r e s e n t a t i o n of these sketches
i s o f t e n se-
q u e n t i a l , s u g g e s t i n g a development from the e a r l i e r to the present
chapel.
P o e t i c a l l u s i o n s to the former church a r e d i s c e r n a b l e i n the prominent south entrance,
facade, and
i n the p r o v i s i o n f o r the outdoor
i n the i r r e g u l a r s i l h o u e t t e .
The
ceremony i n the east
o b s e r v a t i o n post
distinc-
t i v e l y shown i n the f i r s t maquette i s r e t a i n e d i n the i n s e t b a l c o n y
on the n o r t h facade of the present c h a p e l
and
( F i g s . 15;, 22).
The
f o r t r e s s - l i k e north facade.symbolically o f f e r s a defensive
a g a i n s t the i n v a s i o n s which had
so f r e q u e n t l y plagued
high
look-out
front
the s i t e i n the past
63
and which Le C o r b u s i e r had
commented upon.
There a r e a l s o d e s c r i p t i v e
passages i n a p u b l i s h e d , h i s t o r i c a l account of Ronchamp owned by
Le
C o r b u s i e r t h a t are comparable to c e r t a i n d e t a i l s i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
design.
These i n c l u d e the V i r g i n ' s n i c h e , the arrangement of the s a n c t u a r y ,
and
66
the r e f e r e n c e s to d e f e n s i v e b u i l d i n g s once on the
site.
Forms a l l u d i n g to the more d i s t a n t past can a l s o be p e r c e i v e d .
c o n f i g u r a t i o n of the e x t e r i o r southeast
t h i c elements of d o l m e n - l i k e
chapels and
corner
i s s u g g e s t i v e of the
c o n s t r u c t i o n s ( F i g s . 23,
24).
The
paleoli-
domed s i d e
t h e i r r e s u l t i n g e f f e c t s on i l l u m i n a t i o n have a s p e c i f i c
t o r i c a l antecedent
The
his-
i n Hadrian's
V i l l a at T i v o l i ( F i g s . 25, 2 6) which i s
67
r e c o r d e d i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s e a r l y sketchbooks.
Le C o r b u s i e r had a l r e a d y
drawn upon Hadrian's V i l l a at T i v o l i f o r the 1948 Sainte—Baume p r o j e c t ,
68
i n d i c a t i n g h i s preference f o r i t s formal devices.
a l l u s i o n s to past forms i n the c h a p e l suggest
H i s s y n t h e s i s of
a conscious
attempt to r e p r e -
sent a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y h i s response to the s i t e quoted above.
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s method of s y n t h e s i z i n g h i s t o r i c a l and
from c o n s e r v a t i v e or expected
i s wider and
l e s s obvious,
i n s p a t i a l and
traditionalism i n
and
the r e s u l t f a r
f o r m a l terms. >. • The
i d e n t i f i c a t i o n s p o s s i b l e f o r the forms are capable
m u l t i v a l e n t and
Moreover,
cultural associations
i n t o h i s c h a p e l i s d i s t i n c t i v e from t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y
t h a t the h i s t o r i c a l context
these
of
various
twentieth-century
c u b i s t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n as opposed to n i n e t e e n t h or even e a r l y
t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y e c l e c t i c i s m w i t h i t s l i t e r a r y a s s o c i a t i o n s and
univalent
69
interpretations.
In a d d i t i o n to the p o e t i c and v i s u a l l y e l u s i v e s u g g e s t i o n s
t o r i c a l forms, a l l u s i o n s to contemporary forms a r e a l s o e v i d e n t .
C o r b u s i e r proposed that a n a l o g i e s w i t h the a i r p l a n e wing and
h u l l were a p p l i c a b l e to the c o n s t r u c t i o n technique
and
to h i s Le
the s h i p ' s
forms used f o r the
64
r o o f at Notre-Dame-du-Haut."^
by the use
He
thus a s s e r t e d
of contemporary forms.
the modernity of the
A l s o , Le C o r b u s i e r
added the s e a s h e l l to
these t e c h n i c a l l y - d e r i v e d forms as a s u i t a b l e analogy and
source f o r the chapel's
construction.^
He
inspirational
thus extended the f o r m a l
/
forms c a p a b l e of c r e a t i n g an i n t e l l e c t u a l and
These were
emotional response i n the
viewer.
Thus, the i n c l u s i o n of the s e a s h e l l i n the documentation of
chapel's
c o n t r u c t i o n demonstrates t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r
73
A decided
1938
T h i s , too,
dismissed
standardized
above any
from b u i l d i n g , was
forms and
i s not a r e c e n t
the importance of new
74
methods i n the c r e a t i o n of a r c h i t e c t u r a l form.
t h a t was
sought forms
the
provoking
interest.
i n t e r e s t i n " p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l " p u r s u i t s i s evident
when Le C o r b u s i e r
b i l i t y and
voca-
72
b u l a r y of a r c h i t e c t u r e to i n c l u d e h i s "formes p o e t i q u e s " .
" p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l " responses.
chapel
building.
Instead
u t i l i t a r i a n objective.
intended
He
m a t e r i a l s and
also dismissed
in
new
dura-
he advocated an a r c h i t e c t u r e
A r c h i t e c t u r e , as d i s t i n g u i s h e d
to d e c l a r e an e l e v a t e d purpose through i t s
their r e l a t i o n s h i p s . ^
In 1948
continued
through e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n s w i t h
h i s search
sculpture.^
f o r such d e c l a r a t i v e forms
H i s s c u l p t u r e p o s s e s s e s many
precedents f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
In h i s s c u l p t u r e he a p p l i e d c o l o u r
form to c r e a t e volume; he d e s c r i b e d
s c u l p t u r a l composition
v i s u a l a c o u s t i c s and
metaphysically
Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
more v o l u m e t r i c
i n terms of
he r e l a t e d s c u l p t u r e p h y s i c a l l y to the landscape
to p o e t r y . ^ *
By
to
and
These same terms of r e f e r e n c e were a p p l i e d
1948
to
r e v e a l e d a g r e a t e r concern f o r
compositions i n h i s p a i n t i n g than p r e v i o u s l y and
admitted
78'
the a p p l i c a b i l i t y of extending
f o r m a l p u r s u i t s of one medium i n t o another.
dated h i s i n c r e a s e d
o r i g i n a t i n g at t h i s time.
concern f o r s c u l p t a b l e designs
Many of the forms, c o m p o s i t i o n a l
patterns,
as
and
65
much of the
textural richness
Notre-Dame-du-Haut
and
( F i g . 27).
s c u l p t u r e was
w i t h the
found i n h i s s c u l p t u r e are a l s o found a t
to c r e a t e
Moreover, the purpose of both a r c h i t e c t u r e
i n e f f a b l e space which Le C o r b u s i e r
e x p e r i e n c e of the m i r a c l e
equated
of f a i t h - the consummation of
plastic
*79
emotion.
The
a r c h i t e c t u r a l and
tion, materials,
and
Corbusier
that:
stated
t h e o r e t i c a l b a s i s f o r t h i s approach to
form e x i s t e d i n Towards a new
construc-
a r c h i t e c t u r e where Le
F i n a l l y , i t w i l l be a d e l i g h t to t a l k of ARCHITECTURE a f t e r
so many g r a i n - s t o r e s , workshops, machines and
skyscrapers.
ARCHITECTURE i s a t h i n g of a r t , a phenomenon of the emotions,
l y i n g o u t s i d e q u e s t i o n s of c o n s t r u c t i o n and beyond them.'80
(and)
Being moved, we are a b l e to get beyond the c r u d e r s e n s a t i o n s ;
c e r t a i n r e l a t i o n s h i p s are thus born which work upon our p e r c e p t i o n s and put ; us i n t o a s t a t e of s a t i s f a c t i o n i n which
man can employ f u l l y h i s g i f t s of memory, of a n a l y s i s , of
r e a s o n i n g and c r e a t i o n , ( u n d e r l i n i n g m i n e ) ^
building.
c o n c e i v e d of Notre-Dame-du-Haut as a r c h i t e c t u r e , as opposed to
I t had
an
"elevated"
purpose,and he was
" u n c o n s t r a i n e d by
programme, o t h e r than a b r i e f r i t u a l which, indeed,
of the
(ennobled) the
any
elements
problem".^
overcame the p h y s i c a l l i m i t a t i o n s imposed by economy
e x t e r i o r r e s t r a i n t s and
tural vision.
explored
and
the more p o e t i c elements of h i s a r c h i t e c -
D e s p i t e the many c o n s t r u c t i o n a l , m a t e r i a l , and
formal
rela-
t i o n s h i p s found at Notre-Dame-du-Haut which u n q u e s t i o n a b l y have precedence
i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
a r c h i t e c t u r a l work, the c h a p e l was
understood upon i t s
83
completion i n 1955
The
t o s i g n a l an a l t e r e d p o s i t i o n f o r Le
r e l a t i o n s h i p to h i s s c u l p t u r e both f o r m a l l y and
Corbusier.
t h e o r e t i c a l l y , and
c o n s c i o u s s e a r c h f o r symbolic forms, appear to be r e s p o n s i b l e
Although the
for
this.
s c u l p t u r a l , e f f e c t i s more pronounced at Notre-Dame-du-Haut
his
than p r e v i o u s l y , what appears to be most r e v o l u t i o n a r y i s not
of o r t h o g o n a l s but
which suggests u n i v e r s a l i s m by
the wide m a t r i x of h i s t o r i c a l l y
and
absence
the w i l l i n g n e s s - perhaps w i l l f u l n e s s - w i t h which
a r c h i t e c t manipulated memory and
pilgrimage
the
s p i r i t u a l drama.
form to c r e a t e a m u l t i v a l e n t
the g a t h e r i n g
and
socially
together
various
the
structure
of forms c o n n o t i n g
symbols r e l a t e d to
67
CHAPTER V
ACOUSTICS
V i s i t o r s t o Notre-Dame-du-Haut have p r a i s e d t h e sound q u a l i t i e s of
the
chapel:
Ronchamp has superb a c o u s t i c s and the resonance of a C a t h e d r a l
space.1
He ( t h e Canon) stood i n t h e back (of t h e nave) and sang a canticle.
H i s v o i c e was mellow, resonant, a l l - p e r v a d i n g . No h i f i s t e r e o r e p r o d u c t i o n was ever so a b l e t o g i v e t h e e f f e c t o f
sound coming from everywhere and nowhere. I n f a c t , a f t e r some
minutes I turned around t o express my a p p r e c i a t i o n , and I found
that t h e c u r a t e had disappeared; he had moved s i l e n t l y i n t o t h e
c o r n e r c h a p e l , and h i s v o i c e from t h e r e f i l l e d the e n t i r e main
space.2
The experience o f sound f i l l i n g the space i s c r e a t e d by means of
a l o n g r e v e r b e r a t i o n . The p r i e s t has been heard by t h e ( v i s i t o r )
s i n g i n g v e s p e r s i n tune w i t h h i m s e l f , the r e v e r b e r a t i o n b e i n g
so prolonged t h a t the s i n g e r can even make cords w i t h h i m s e l f ,
u s i n g t h e room as a m u s i c a l
instrument.
3
And
Le C o r b u s i e r , h i m s e l f , has s a i d of Notre-Dame-du-Haut:
Its a c o u s t i c a r c h i t e c t u r e i n t h e shape of a m u s i c a l
w i l l make i t ' s i n g ' among t h e Voges mountains... 4
There a r e t h r e e important
t h i s chapel.
without
ly,
i t expresses
sound.
these
f e a t u r e s of t h e a c o u s t i c environment i n
The r e v e r b e r a t i o n evokes t h e e x p e r i e n c e
simulating i t .
instrument,
o f a c a t h e d r a l space
I t enhances t h e v o i c e of t h e i n d i v i d u a l .
And t h i r d -
t h e a r c h i t e c t ' s emphasis on t h e analogy between space and
I t can almost be s a i d t h a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut was t h e f r u i t o f
explorations.^
Even without
be read
the r e f e r e n c e s t o h i s i n t e r e s t
i n a c o u s t i c s which can
i n t h e Modulor, t h e a r c h i t e c t ' s concern f o r t h i s aspect
a r c h i t e c t u r e o f Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s v i s u a l l y r e v e a l e d
of the
i n the building.:
the s i x c u r v i n g s u r f a c e s of the c h a p e l ' s
f o u r w a l l s , f l o o r , and
ceiling;
the f u n n e l shape of the nave; the deep c a v i t i e s a l o n g the south w a l l ;
the
v e r y s l i g h t banking of the pews,and the p r e c i s e l o c a t i o n of the p u l p i t , which
j u t s out
planes,
from a h o l l o w
c l o s e to the i n t e r s e c t i o n of two
a c u r v i n g w a l l , and
the c u r v i n g
major
reverberant
ceiling.
Some of the impetus f o r a c o u s t i c a l l y - r e s p o n s i v e a r c h i t e c t u r e came
from the Church.
was
There had been a r e s u r g e n c e of i n t e r e s t
g i v e n o f f i c i a l r e c o g n i t i o n by the
Pope P i u s X.
7
The
However, t h e r e was
1903
Tr a le;. so11ec i t u d i n i .
l i t u r g i c a l movement was
no
i n music t h a t
r
:
of
l a r e l y responsible for t h i s .
c o n t r a c t u a l or w r i t t e n demand t h a t Le
8
Corbusier
9
c r e a t e a s p e c i f i c type of sound environment.
discretion.
But
such a degree t h a t i t i s not
s e n s u a l and
and
flectors.
and
from c e i l i n g s and
soundboards designed
almost unprecedented
and
acoustical control practices.
a b s t a i n i n g from r e m e d i a l
H i s approach was
wall
to a c t as r e -
s u r f a c e s such as sound r e f l e c t o r s
loudspeaker
the
For purposes of sound enhancement,
introduced
suspended
systems.^
For o r d i n a r y needs Le C o r b u s i e r used none of t h e s e .
was
resilient
More r e c e n t l y modern church b u i l d i n g p r a c t i c e had
c o r r e c t i v e and m a n i p u l a t i v e
of
i n modern churches
i n c l u d e t a p e s t r i e s , c a r p e t i n g , and
baldachins,
own
solved i t with c r e a t i v e ingenuity.
c e i l i n g s u r f a c e s to absorb s o u n d . ^
t h e r e were r e r e d o e s ,
to h i s
should.:have analysed
c o n v e n t i o n a l accoutrements commonly i n s t a l l e d
f o r sound m a n i p u l a t i o n
left
i n t e l l e c t u a l commitment was
s u r p r i s i n g t h a t he
problem w i t h great s e n s i t i v i t y and
The
T h i s was
related l i t t l e
He
What he d i d
do
to contemporary church
e l e c t e d to use o n l y the b a s i c s t r u c t u r e ,
d e v i c e s such as a c o u s t i c a l t i l e s and
to m a n i p u l a t e the path and
carpeting.
energy of the sound waves by
12
c o n t r o l l i n g the shape of the s u r f a c e s from which they were r e f l e c t e d .
69:
P i n p o i n t i n g h i s sound s o u r c e s a t the p u l p i t , a l t a r s , and pews, t h e a r c h i tect
then c r e a t i v e l y shaped a l l s i x o f t h e s u r f a c e s
reverberant
curves,
container.
of t h i s space i n t o a
By f u r t h e r m o d u l a t i n g these s u r f a c e s w i t h b a l a n c e d
s t r a t e g i c a l l y placed
recessions
w a l l , and by v a r y i n g t h e cant
such as t h e c a v i t i e s o f t h e south
i n t h e w a l l e l e v a t i o n and d i s t a n c e s
between
13
bounding edges,
Le C o r b u s i e r r e a l i z e d h i s c h a p e l
14
c a l instrument made t o s i n g . "
The
i n " t h e shape o f a musi-
The quotes g i v e n above a t t e s t t o h i s s u c c e s s .
outdoor s a n c t u a r y shows a l l t h e c a r e f u l p l a n n i n g
bandshell.
features
of a
The l a r g e outward s p l a y o f t h e south spur w a l l , the a n g l i n g
of t h e outdoor s a c r i s t y i n t h e o p p o s i t e
eave t h a t d e f l e c t s e x p a n s i v e l y
speaker, serve
cent p l a i n .
d i r e c t i o n , and the l a r g e overhead
i n a shape r e c a l l i n g an e n l a r g e d
loud-
t o p r o j e c t sound outward i n t o the crowd amassed on t h e a d j a -
The placement o f t h e church f u r n i t u r e - a l t a r , p u l p i t , c h o i r ,
l o f t , and s e d i l e - maximizes t h i s sound-enhancing s e t t i n g .
The
expansive shape of t h e outdoor s a n c t u a r y , w h i l e p e r f o r m i n g i t s
f u n c t i o n a l d u t i e s , a l s o manages t o g i v e v i s u a l e x p r e s s i o n
c a l q u a l i t i e s envisioned
emanate from the c h a p e l
To Le C o r b u s i e r ,
f o r the c h a p e l .
and t o f i l t e r
intended
sound to
i n t o the surrounding v a l l e y s . ^
the p r a c t i c a l problem o f a u d i b i l i t y was t o be
s o l v e d by s t r u c t u r a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s .
be r e s o l v e d
t o the a c o u s t i -
The problem o f sound q u a l i t y was t o
i n terms o f p s y c h o l o g i c a l r e a c t i o n s .
Given such
considerations,
he opened up a number o f avenues to p o s s i b l e e x p l o r a t i o n i n t o man's p e r c e p t i o n and e x p e r i e n c e o f a r c h i t e c t u r a l space and form.
r e l a t i o n s h i p between music and form, g i v i n g g r e a t e r
16
He a f f i r m e d t h e
substance t o the analogy
o f t e n made between music and a r c h i t e c t u r e .
In a d d i t i o n he h e i g h t e n e d the p i l g r i m ' s awareness of h i m s e l f , h i s
own v o i c e , and the space e n v e l o p i n g
him.
Space so s t r o n g l y
(awesomely)
70
l o c a l i z e d becomes p l a c e :
Ronchamp, s i t e of m i r a c l e s . " ^
With the p r o p o s a l
18
that a t o n a l music be i n t r o d u c e d ,
Le C o r b u s i e r expanded the m u s i c a l i n -
t e r e s t s of the Church i n t o a realm of avant-gardism
w i t h the i n s t i t u t i o n .
He a l s o suggested
19
f o r e x t e r i o r sound r e f l e c t o r s .
not u s u a l l y a s s o c i a t e d
contemporaneity
These r e f l e c t o r s add
v i s u a l image of the environment-engaging s t r u c t u r e , and
p o e t i c a l l y and a c t u a l l y e n l a r g e the presence
with h i s plans
sound r e a l i t y t o the
together
they
of the c h a p e l beyond the
con-
f i n e s of i t s p h y s i c a l embodiment.
Le C o r b u s i e r took the t r a d i t i o n a l sound concerns
of the church
music, p r e a c h i n g , and p r a y e r - and made of them p o e t i c a l and
considerations.
In so doing he s y n t h e s i z e d a tremendously
-
contemporary
wide range of
sound e x p e r i e n c e s from numerous and d i f f e r e n t p l a c e s .
Le C o r b u s i e r drew upon the e x p e r i e n c e gained from h i s work w i t h
20
Auguste P e r r e t and e s p e c i a l l y from Gustave Lyon.
The t h e a t r e he designed
w i t h the l a t t e r i n 1928-29 c o n t r i b u t e d t h e o r e t i c a l and p r a c t i c a l knowledge
21
about a c o u s t i c s .
own
There i s a l s o evidence t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r r e c a l l e d h i s
past s e n s a t i o n s of r e l i g i o u s space i n terms of i t s a c o u s t i c a l ambiance.
H i s d e s c r i p t i o n s of r e l i g i o u s s i t e s found
and 1911
, . .
i n h i s t r a v e l d i a r i e s of
1906
prove him t o be p a r t i c u l a r l y s e n s i t i v e to the r o l e of sound i n
.
22
relxgious
experience.
In Le C o r b u s i e r ' s ongoing
quest
f o r the r e l a t i o n s h i p between the
sis-
t e r a r t s , music and a r c h i t e c t u r e , N^tre-Dame-du-Haut has a s i g n i f i c a n t
place.
P r i o r to the c h a p e l , Le C o r b u s i e r ' s concern w i t h sound had
l i m i t e d to p u r e l y p r a c t i c a l matters
i n h i s d e s i g n s and r e a l i z e d
been
projects.
H i s work on sound i n s u l a t i o n , as found at Unit£ d ' H a b i t a t i o n , M a r s e i l l e s ,
23
and h i s d e s c r i p t i o n s of the P a l a c e of t h e S o v i e t s d e s i g n e x e m p l i f y
H i s a n a l o g i e s between music and a r c h i t e c t u r a l c o m p o s i t i o n had
this.
otherwise
remained i n t u i t i v e and a b s t r a c t .
There had not y e t been a
programmatic
o p p o r t u n i t y t o u t i l i z e past p r a c t i c a l knowledge of e x p l o r i n g t h e o r e t i c a l
incentives.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut gave Le C o r b u s i e r t h a t
opportunity.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut c o n s t i t u t e d a c l a r i f i c a t i o n and development
C o r b u s i e r ' s i d e a s about t h e a p p l i c a b i l i t y o f m u s i c a l
a p p l i e d to a r c h i t e c t u r a l composition
discipline
and about the p e r c e p t i o n of sound as
determined by the form of a c o u s t i c environments.
can be judged by what f o l l o w e d .
compositional
of Le
The importance of t h i s
In 1958 Le C o r b u s i e r was
to b u i l d the
P h i l l i p ' s P a v i l i o n i n B r u s s e l s , a t o t a l environment o f a r c h i t e c t u r e , l i g h t ,
p i c t o r i a l image, and sound.
The c o n c e p t i o n was
s
as
was
24
the i d e a of c o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h Edgar Varese,
garde f o r h i s work i n a t o n a l music.
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s own,
a p p r e c i a t e d among t h e avant-
He had a l r e a d y been approached by Le
C o r b u s i e r t o compose an a t o n a l mass f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut i n 1954.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut may
C o r b u s i e r ' s own b e l i e f
be seen as an i n t u i t i v e response t o Le
i n t h e importance of a l l the sensory
s t i m u l i i n the
c r e a t i o n of s i g n i f i c a n t a r c h i t e c t u r a l space and form, a b e l i e f
26
s t a t e d i n Vers une a r c h i t e c t u r e of 1923.
the program presented
There can be l i t t l e
at Notre-Dame-du-Haut was
found
doubt t h a t
understood by Le C o r b u s i e r
as a demand to c r e a t e such a s i g n i f i c a n t environment and t h a t he e a r n e s t l y
sought t o do
so.^
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n was
t u r a l design.
undaunted
built
not o n l y t o a e s t h e t i c s and a r c h i t e c -
Long r e v e r b e r a t i o n , a c a t h e d r a l space, and the sound of an
i n d i v i d u a l ' s v o i c e were s i g n i f i c a n t a t t r i b u t e s t o g i v e a c h a p e l
i n the 1950s.
The emphasis
on the i n d i v i d u a l , to which d e s c r i p t i o n s
of the sound environment a l l u d e , was
to the post-World War
a l s o i n n o v a t i v e and extremely r e l e v a n t
I I C a t h o l i c Church t h a t wished to r e a f f i r m t h e impor-
tance of the i n d i v i d u a l w i t h i n the C h r i s t i a n community.
A l s o , on a p o e t i c
level,
the r e v e r b e r a n t
b l e n d i n g of d i s s o n a n t
understood
c a t h e d r a l space was
and
conducive
to the harmonious
d i s p a r a t e v o i c e s such as the Church U n i v e r s a l
i t s e a r t h l y r o l e to
be.
73'
CHAPTER VI
ORNAMENTATION
Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s a p i l g r i m a g e c h a p e l r e s p l e n d e n t
Images and
c a l l i g r a p h y r e v e a l e d by c o l o u r e d and
with
ornament.
c l e a r l i g h t bespeak i t s
d e d i c a t i o n - a s m a l l country p a r i s h c h a p e l s h e l t e r i n g a r e l i c of the
and
those who
The
seek
Her.
south windows have c l e a r l y i d e n t i f i a b l e b u t t e r f l i e s ,
l e a v e s , a "moon-face" (or "Janus head"), b i r d s , and
w r i t t e n l e g i b l y and
28).
stars,
Phrases
a p p r o p r i a t e l y i n the v e r n a c u l a r are s c a t t e r e d over
those of the n o r t h e a s t w a l l a b u t t i n g the s a n c t u a r y
(Figs.
these
19,
Images, c o l o u r s , or phrases a r e s p r i n k l e d on the t a b e r n a c l e , a b e l l -
tower l o u v r e , the s m a l l a l t a r c r o s s e s , and
they a r e strewn on the f l o o r
the a c t i o n of the sun p a s s i n g through the p a i n t e d g l a s s panes ( F i g s .
28,
clouds,
flowers painted i n
b r i g h t c o l o u r s of r e d , y e l l o w , green, b l u e , v i o l e t , and b l a c k .
windows and
Virgin
19).
Images and
at the c e r e m o n i a l
c o l o u r s a r e gathered
together
door on the south facade.
29,
to c r e a t e a f o c a l p o i n t
A l l these p a i n t e d s i g n s a r e
a p a t t e r n woven i n t o the f a b r i c w i t h which Le C o r b u s i e r enwrapped
sacred
by
this
space.
While the Church had
an acknowledged involvement
as has j u s t been d e s c r i b e d , Le C o r b u s i e r d i d n o t .
f a c t t h a t such images and
w i t h ornament such
T h i s , together with
l i t e r a r y accompaniment were not o r i g i n a l l y
v i s i o n e d by Le C o r b u s i e r encourages t a n t a l i z i n g s p e c u l a t i o n as t o h i s
tivation in finally
the
enmo-
i n c l u d i n g them. ^
T h i s chapter w i l l
l o o k a t the g e n e r a l context
of ornament i n t w e n t i e t h -
century a r c h i t e c t u r e , Le C o r b u s i e r ' s ornament v o c a b u l a r y ,
and
contemporaneous
74
liturgical
art.
I t w i l l be the i n t e n t of such a survey to a s s e s s the pos-
s i b l e importance of the imagery to both Le C o r b u s i e r and
century
French
to the t w e n t i e t h -
C a t h o l i c Church.
Ornamentation i n the t w e n t i e t h
century
Ornament i s u s u a l l y c o n s i d e r e d i n t e g r a l to such
twentieth-century
a r c h i t e c t u r a l a e s t h e t i c s as A r t Nouveau, A r t Deco, and
twentieth-century
i
traditionalism.
But r a r e l y i s i t estimated
important
t o the a e s t h e t i c s of
Le C o r b u s i e r or h i s contemporaries w i t h i n the Modern Movement(1914-1965),
as Gropius, Oud,
R i e t v e l d , and Mies van der Rohe.
t o p i c j u s t i c e here, but i t seems important
Beginning
such
I cannot hope to to the
to p r o v i d e a g e n e r a l o u t l i n e .
i n the n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y w i t h the w r i t i n g s of W i l l i a m
M o r r i s , H o r a t i o Greenough, and L o u i s S u l l i v a n , the q u e s t i o n of ornament
was
c o n s i d e r e d w i t h i n the c o n t e x t s of the r e l a t i o n s h i p of c r a f t
2
t u r e and
of
t h a t of a p p l i e d ornament to s t r u c t u r a l form.
ornament, i t s m o r a l i t y , was
n i n e t e e n t h and
of
The
here i r r e v o c a b l y i n t r o d u c e d .
to manufac-:
social
context
Much l a t e
e a r l y t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y w r i t i n g c a s t s a s p e r s i o n on the
a p p l i e d ornament, and
Loos' Ornament and
the apogee of such t h i n k i n g was
found
use
i n Adolf
Crime (1912), which condemned the use of ornament
3
a p p l i e d to s t r u c t u r e .
T h i s d e n i a l of a p p l i e d ornament was
r e a l i g n the f a c t s of i n d u s t r i a l p r o d u c t i o n w i t h a new
b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s , and modern c o n s t r u c t i o n .
4
f a c t o r y , and a T a y l o r i z e d ,
an attempt to
aesthetic vision,
The use of the e n g i n e e r ,
new
the
s t a n d a r d i z e d , and r a t i o n a l i z e d approach to a r c h i -
t e c t u r e became pronounced i n the opening
y e a r s of the t w e n t i e t h
century
and
i n f l u e n c e d the a r c h i t e c t ' s c o n c e p t i o n of the p r o c e s s of c o n s t r u c t i o n
and
the r e l a t i o n s h i p of ornamentation
to i t . The
contemporary i n f l u e n c e
of the engineer
dates from the n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y when beauty was
i n the u n d i s g u i s e d s t r u c t u r e of c a s t i r o n and
s t e e l b r i d g e s and
discovered
i n the magi-
c a l e f f e c t s of such " e n g i n e e r i n g " f e a t s as the C r y s t a l P a l a c e and
Tower.
was
Thus, by the e a r l y y e a r s of the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y , a
made between a p p l i e d ornament and
f a b r i c and
structure.
In 1932
t h a t which was
the
Eiffel
distinction
i n t e g r a l to the b u i l d i n g
P h i l i p Johnson and H e n r y - R u s s e l l
Hitchcock,
under the banner of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l S t y l e , d i s c u s s e d the contemporary
work of Le C o r b u s i e r , G r o p i u s , Oud,
mentioning
ornament as such.^
q u a l i t i e s , and
R i e t v e l d , and Mies van der Rohe without
I n s t e a d , the e f f e c t of m a t e r i a l s , s u r f a c e
the d i s p o s i t i o n of s o l i d p l a n e s and v o i d s were c o n s i d e r e d
i n terms of t h e i r "ornamental e f f e c t "
( v i s u a l i n t e r e s t , v a r i e t y , meaning-
fulness) .
With the s i n g l e e p i t h e t "form f o l l o w s f u n c t i o n " the v i s u a l
t y of p r o g r e s s i v e t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y a r c h i t e c t u r e has
adequately
characterized.^
o f t e n been
complexithought
However, c l o s e s c r u t i n y of these same t e x t s
show t h a t t h e r e were d i s c r e p a n c i e s between word and
deed.
authors were not adverse
some, i n c l u d i n g
to the use of ornament and
Many of t h e i r
g
Gropius
and Le C o r b u s i e r , admitted
the p o s s i b i l i t y of i t s f u l l y b l o s -
9
soming a g a i n a t some f u t u r e date.
In a d d i t i o n , the p e r v a s i v e and
i n f l u e n c e of R u s k i n a t the t u r n of the century must not be
seminal
overlooked.
H i s p e r c e p t i o n of ornament as an analogue to the e x p r e s s i o n of
nature's
v i t a l i t y and of God's working had
11
12
Gaudi,
and Le C o r b u s i e r .
Antoni
W r i t i n g i n 1852,
r e p e r c u s s i o n s on S u l l i v a n , ^
Ruskin s t a t e d t h a t "the p r i n c i p l e p a r t of
t e c t u r e i s ornament", and
t h a t "the a r c h i t e c t who
archi-
i s not a s c u l p t o r or a
13
p a i n t e r i s n o t h i n g b e t t e r than a b u i l d e r " .
r e f e r e n c e to h i s p a i n t i n g and
constant
s c u l p t u r e as a r c h i t e c t u r a l r e s e a r c h i n d i c a t e s
h i s c o n t i n u e d , although
s l i g h t l y a l t e r e d , adherence t o Ruskinian. thought.
A great i n f l u e n c e i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s e a r l y y e a r s , ^ Ruskin's
e l e v a t e d con-
c e p t i o n of ornament must remain w i t h i n the context of any d i s c u s s i o n of
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s .
In 1935
architecture
Le C o r b u s i e r s t a t e d t h a t "the v e r y c o n c e p t i o n of o r g a n i c
( i . e . , h i s own)
c o n t r i b u t e s to the arrangement of the
or, w i t h v a r i e d a r c h i t e c t u r a l expedients
f o r the enhancing
exteri-
of s c u l p t u r e
16
i n the outdoors".
H i s i n t e n t i o n s were made e x p l i c i t by the e x p r e s s i v e
s c u l p t u r e appended to the accompanying facade d e s i g n s f o r the League of
Nations.
C l e a r l y a r c h i t e c t u r e c o u l d be e m b e l l i s h e d .
c l a r i t y of purpose, Le C o r b u s i e r d i v i d e d what was
However, to ensure
once c o n s i d e r e d
archi-
t e c t u r e when a p p r o p r i a t e l y ornamented i n t o equipment, " o b j e t d ' a r t " , and
i t s context, a r c h i t e c t u r e . ^
Importantly,
a r c h i t e c t s of the Modern Movement (1914-1965) r e a c t e d
as much to the meaninglessness of t h e i r contemporary ornament as they d i d
to i t s s t r u c t u r a l redundancy.
A l o n g s i d e the t e c h n i c a l , s t r u c t u r a l ,
m a t e r i a l j u s t i f i c a t i o n s g i v e n f o r the development of a new
ornament, t h e r e a l s o developed
were o f t e n j u s t i f i e d
geometric
aesthetic vindications.
and
approach to
Design
choices
i n terms of p r o p o r t i o n , p s y c h i c s e n s a t i o n , b a s i c
18
form i d e a l s , and enhanced s u r f a c e q u a l i t i e s .
Aesthetic jus-
t i f i c a t i o n s f o r a r c h i t e c t u r a l d e t a i l can be t r a c e d i n the w r i t i n g of
Ruskin,
Owen Jones,
Greenough, and
S u l l i v a n i n the n i n e t e e n t h
19
and Loos and Le C o r b u s i e r i n the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y .
Choisy, C h a r l e s B l a n c , and
century,
Viollet-le-Duc,
the c u b i s t , c o n s t r u c t i v i s t , and
de S t i j l move-
ments were a l s o c o n t r i b u t o r s to the assessment i n f o r m a l terms of
archi-
20
t e c t u r a l elements, c o m p o s i t i o n ,
and d e t a i l .
From the a r t movements
a r c h i t e c t u r e evolved b a s i c shapes and d e s i g n p a t t e r n s whac'h were e i t h e r
simplified
or had been purged of c o n v e n t i o n a l and h i s t o r i c
associations.
stylistic
Ornamental d e t a i l had been r e p l a c e d by f l o a t i n g ,
clearly
21
defined planes,
the m a n i p u l a t i o n
pure c o l o u r
of l i g h t
(with i t s s p a c e - d e f i n i n g q u a l i t i e s ) ,
f o r programmatic demands.
and
Loos, f o r example,
so f o c u s s e d upon the q u a l i t y of m a t e r i a l s and manufacture t h a t he made
them i n t o concerns which are not always j u s t i f i e d by p r a c t i c a l i t y
22
economy and
The
c o u l d o n l y be termed d e c o r a t i v e .
q u e s t i o n of a p p r o p r i a t e ornamentation was
throughout the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y .
C.I.A.M. conferences
artist,
of 1947
1949.
t h e r e f o r e present
d e c i d e d l y important
evaded i n conference
Here the r o l e of the
the t o p i c of d i s c u s s i o n .
the
plastic
Ornamenta-
the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y was
a t the c o n f e r e n c e s ,
was
society.
Although
the term "ornament"
come to be understood
deemed inadequate.
among those who
i n the f i r s t
half
Le C o r b u s i e r , who
expressed
this belief.
q u e n t l y , at the time of Notre-Dame-du-Haut s commission, Le
1
denied
the p u r e l y " f u n c t i o n a l " c l a s s i f i c a t i o n n o r m a l l y
openly
questioned
was
was
not a r e v i s i o n of h i s e a r l i e r p o l i c y , s i n c e he had
une
a r c h i t e c t u r e of 1923
1947
the time had
g i v e n t o him
24
of Le
Corbusier
and
This
p r e d i c t e d i n Vers
be
arrived.
The w r i t i n g and work of Le C o r b u s i e r show c l e a r l y how
ornament v o c a b u l a r y
present
Corbusier
t h a t a p l a c e f o r the p l a s t i c a r t s would
25
By
of
Subse-
i t s p r i o r i t y i n assessing a r c h i t e c t u r a l merit.
r e a l i z e d i n twenty y e a r s .
was
documentation, the s t r i c t adherence to "form
f o l l o w s f u n c t i o n " as i t had
The
at
at t h i s p o i n t b e l i e v e d n e e d f u l of the most s e r i o u s c o n s i d e r a t i o n
by the modern a r c h i t e c t and
still
and
I t was
23
i n c l u d i n g the a r c h i t e c t , was
t i o n was
or
he r e l a t e d
to
78
and was
a p a r t of the t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y p u r s u i t of meaningful
He j u s t i f i e d
ornament.
t h i s quest w i t h c l a i m s v a l i d a t e d by both p r a c t i c a l
ism and a e s t h e t i c i d e a l s .
He too c a l l e d
functional-
f o r the demise of a p p l i e d o r n a -
26
ment,
the embracing of the machine's c a p a b i l i t i e s , mass p r o d u c t i o n , and
27
28
standardization.
He emulated s c i e n t i f i c a n a l y s i s ,
Taylorism,
the
29
30
engineer,
and s c i e n t i f i c d i s c i p l i n e .
But a t the same time, he a l s o
admitted
e n t i r e l y aesthectic motivations:
s e c t i o n , " o b j e t s d ' a r t " , " o b j e t s pures",
r e g u l a t i n g l i n e s , the
the s u p e r i o r i t y of the
golden
Philobean
31
s o l i d s , and
the i d e a l of a mathematical o r d e r .
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s r e l a t i o n s h i p to the d e v e l o p i n g thought
can be b r i e f l y o u t l i n e d .
He shared
i n the same e x p e r i e n c e s
about ornament
as those of
any t u r n - o f - t h e - c e n t u r y craftsman w h i l e a young d e s i g n e r and engraver a t
32
La Chaux-de-Fonds (1900-1910).
At C e n t i e r s - F o n t a i n e m e i o n , S w i t z e r l a n d
he p a r t i c i p a t e d i n a quest f o r r e g i o n a l l y r e l e v a n t a r c h i t e c t u r a l ornament
;
and had helped
to d e c o r a t e a c h a p e l t h e r e w i t h m o t i f s d e r i v e d from
local
33
flora.
He read Ruskin,
l a t e r Choisy and Loos.
Owen Jones,
and V i o l l e t - l e - D u c a t t h i s time, and
34
He a l s o spoke h i g h l y of S u l l i v a n .
Although f o r
a s h o r t p e r i o d c r i t i c a l of them a l l ,
he d i d i n l a t e r w r i t i n g s r e c o g n i z e
35
t h e i r i n f l u e n c e on h i s c o n c e p t i o n of ornament and
to Vienna
and o t h e r c i t i e s of A u s t r i a and
form.
Germany i n 1910,
His
excursions
and
the r e -
s u l t a n t book Etude sur l e mouvement d ' a r t d e c o r a t i f en allemagne (1912)
show him t o be p e r s o n a l l y i n v o l v e d i n the c o n t r o v e r s y r e g a r d i n g c r a f t
36
the machine, i n which he supported
the l a t t e r .
I t i s a l s o from t h i s
date t h a t a s t r o n g a v e r s i o n to A r t Nouveau, brought about by the
seen i n Germany and A u s t r i a , can be noted
and
i n his writings.
In 1925
C o r b u s i e r a g a i n wrote about the q u e s t i o n of ornament; t h i s was
a g a i n seven y e a r s l a t e r as L'.art d e c o r a t i f d' au j ourd' h u i .
excesses
Le
published
Here he
79
presented
an e v o l u t i o n a r y and
c u l t u r a l r a t i o n a l e of d e c o r a t i v e a r t
37
s i m i l a r to t h a t d e s c r i b e d by Loos.
From t h i s b r i e f survey
a s c e r t a i n e d t h a t d e c o r a t i v e a s p e c t s had
Corbusier's.
symbolic
l o n g been a concern of
interested i n i t s social,
t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r had
a r c h i t e c t u r a l endeavour and who
t i o n s h i p s between God
social
Purism was
cultural,
perceived
and n a t u r e
the h i g h e r
i n ornament, m e a n i n g f u l
personal
c o n t r i b u t i o n to the ' s t r i p p e d
38
on c l e a r forms and
t e r p e n e t r a t i o n s , and
silhouette.
r o l e of the image by
i t s c h o i c e of m o t i f s :
of contemporary l i f e .
had
rela-
as w e l l as between economy i n manufac-
a e s t h e t i c s e n s i b i l i t y of h i s e r a .
It concentrated
h i s designs
It i s
realms of
I t was
s o p h i c a l system t h a t i n f l u e n c e d d e s i g n which he developed w i t h
and
and
responsibility.
down' s t r u c t u r e and
i n 1918.
Le
a great exposure to a number of t h e o r i s t s
made some r e l a t i o n s h i p between ornament and
t u r e and
be
r o l e , not merely i t s r e l a t i o n s h i p to e s s e n t i a l s t r u c t u r e .
also evident
who
I t a l s o shows him
i t can
The
a
philo-
Ozenfant
their interrelationships, i n -
However, Purism a l s o proposed the
symbolic
t y p i c a l objects representative
adherence to n a t u r a l or r e c o g n i z a b l e forms i n
l e d to much c r i t i c i s m of h i s l y r i c i s m , s e n t i m e n t a l i t y ,
39
s u b j e c t i v i t y i n the 1920s and
m e n t a l i t y were repeated
1930s.
Such a c c u s a t i o n s
of
senti-
about Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
From h i s j u s t i f i c a t i o n of forms and
a e s t h e t i c c r i t e r i a , Le C o r b u s i e r
architectural detail
shows h i m s e l f the s u c c e s s o r
using
to a body of
thought which developed c o n c u r r e n t l y w i t h the more p u b l i c i s e d a t t i t u d e s
of "form f o l l o w s f u n c t i o n " .
However, as has been shown, these
c r i t e r i a r e s u r f a c e d i n the post-World War
Raynor Banham, i n h i s Theory and
concludes
submerged
II era.
Design i n the F i r s t Machine
t h a t " a e s t h e t i c s as much i f not more than t e c h n o l o g i c a l
Age,
80
awareness determined
the v i s u a l appearance o f t h e major m a s t e r p i e c e s of
40
the f i r s t h a l f of the t w e n t i e t h century".
W i l l i a m Jordy a l s o upsets
t h e c o n v e n t i o n a l d e f i n i t i o n o f modern a r c h i t e c t u r e as b e i n g f u n c t i o n a l i s t
41
and p r e o c c u p i e d w i t h t h e machine.
I n s t e a d , he sees t h a t t h e modern move-
ment was p r o p e l l e d by a s e a r c h f o r a p p r o p r i a t e symbols w h i c h would
enable
an e d i f i c e t o f u n c t i o n as a product o f i t s t i m e , s p i r i t u a l l y and p h y s i c a l l y .
Given t h e s y m b o l i c importance which ornament and form may have, as suggested by J o r d y , Le C o r b u s i e r ' s p a s t i n v o l v e m e n t s w i t h i t , and by t h e
p r e c e d e n t s s e t f o r such a view by R u s k i n and P u r i s m , such ornament as i s
evidenced a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut suggests t h a t i t s e x p l o r a t i o n may p r o v i d e
a new v i e w p o i n t on t h e work o f Le C o r b u s i e r .
At t h e time o f
his
commission f o r Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Le
C o r b u s i e r ' s s e l f - a d v e r t i s e d use of 'modern' forms, s t r i k i n g m a t e r i a l
j u x t a p o s i t i o n s , b o l d s i t i n g s , and l i g h t o r i e n t a t i o n s were p r e v a l e n t .
His
use o f p a i n t i n g s , m u r a l s , and s c u l p t u r e as a p p r o p r i a t e a d j u n c t s t o h i s
a r c h i t e c t u r e was w e l l known.
H i s outspokeness
f o r a s y n t h e s i s of the a r t s
had been s t a t e d as r e c e n t l y as t h e C.I.A.M. c o n f e r e n c e o f 1949.
His w i l l i n g
ness t o pursue t h e s e a r c h i t e c t u r a l endeavours w i t h i n t h e c o n t e x t o f r e l i g i o u s a r c h i t e c t u r e c o u l d have been p r e d i c t e d by h i s d e s i g n f o r S a i n t e Baume.
A l s o , Le C o r b u s i e r ' s work p r i o r t o Notre-Dame-du-Haut d i d n o t l a c k
a concern f o r t h e s y m b o l i c and i t s r o l e o f e m b e l l i s h m e n t ,
the u n i v e r s a l symbols sought i n P u r i s m .
as was seen i n
I m p o r t a n t l y , t h e Church s p e c i f i -
c a l l y opened i t s e l f t o u n i v e r s a l symbolism a f t e r t h e f r a g m e n t a t i o n of World
43
War I I .
I n t h e p a s t Le C o r b u s i e r had spoken o f a u n i v e r s a l v i s u a l
44
language c a p a b l e o f e x p r e s s i n g p h i l o s o p h i c a l c o n c e p t s .
a r c h i t e c t u r e , i t s forms, and h i s manner o f ornamenting
I t was i n h i s
i t t h a t Le
81
C o r b u s i e r sought t o r e i f y h i s p h i l o s o p h i c a l and a e s t h e t i c t h e o r i z i n g .
The o r n a m e n t a t i o n of Notre-Dame-du-Haut
A s t r i k i n g d e s i g n program a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s e v i d e n c e d i n t h e
g e o m e t r i c forms e i t h e r cut i n t o o r p r o j e c t i n g from t h e b u i l d i n g f a b r i c .
On
the s o u t h f a c a d e , f l a n k i n g t h e c e r e m o n i a l door, a g e o m e t r i c form p r o j e c t s
from t h e c u r v e d w a l l o f the southwest tower.
Another r i s e s v e r t i c a l l y
from the ground on t h e o p p o s i t e s i d e of t h e e n t r a n c e ( F i g . 1 2 ) .
While the
former has no apparent s t r u c t u r a l purpose, i t was i n t e n d e d as a s u p p o r t f o r
45
a future sculpture.
The l a t t e r b e a r s the d e d i c a t i o n p l a q u e and has
46
b u r i e d w i t h i n i t t h e documents r e c o r d i n g t h e h i s t o r y of t h e c h a p e l .
W h i l e t h e permanently d i s p l a y e d d e d i c a t i o n s t o n e r e c a l l s an a n c i e n t
tradi-
t i o n i t i s not r e q u i s i t e a c c o r d i n g t o canon law and i s not f r e q u e n t l y found
i n contemporary c h u r c h a r c h i t e c t u r e .
However, p o r t a l s c u l p t u r e i s common
t o G o t h i c c a t h e d r a l s as e x e m p l i f i e d by C h a r t r e s , Notre-Dame-de-Paris o r t h e
/
47
Romanesque V e z e l a y , a l l of w h i c h were known by Le C o r b u s i e r .
In addition,
s c u l p t u r e was a f r e q u e n t and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c d e v i c e of p i l g r i m a g e a c t i v i t y
and s c u l p t u r e marking t h e p i l g r i m a g e r o u t e s i s one o f t h e i d e n t i f y i n g
48
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e medi e v a l t r a d i t i o n .
Surpassing f u n c t i o n a l necessi-
t y , the g e o m e t r i c forms ' f u n c t i o n ' i n t h e i r own r i g h t as s c u l p t u r e .
p r o j e c t i n g h o r i z o n t a l cube responds t o t h e v e r t i c a l u p r i g h t cube:
49
' a c t i v a t e ' the space, g i v i n g a c c e s s t o t h e c e r e m o n i a l door,
g i v e human s c a l e t o the l a r g e expanse of t h e southwest tower.
they
and they
In t h e i r
as p l a c e markers, s i g n p o s t s , and space humanizers t h e s e forms do
some purposes s i m i l a r t o t r a d i t i o n a l p o r t a l s c u l p t u r e s , ( F i g s .
The
fulfill
30,31).
Another r a t i o n a l e i s suggested by t h e use of g e o m e t r i c forms.
The
role
82
stone b l o c k which s e r v e s
p o r t i o n s , 113
proportions
and
x 113
carved
as a d e d i c a t i o n stone i s of h i s
x 70 c e n t i m e t e r s ,
out
and
of i t s s u r f a c e . T h u s
geometry t h e s e ornamental d e v i c e s
that a continual reference
basis.
a r e c t a n g l e of
pro-
'Modulor'
i n t h e i r general
proportion
i n t r o d u c e the Modulor and
the p h i l o -
sophy t h a t such a r e f e r e n c e encompasses.
Corbusier
has
'Modulor'
T h i s v i s u a l statement
suggests
to p r o p o r t i o n be made t h e r e a f t e r , f o r to
Le
" i t i s the Modulor which i s the essence of the d e s i g n - the
Symbolically
the e n t i r e s t r u c t u r e r e s t s upon i t " . ~ ^
The
true
forms
p l a c e d w i t h i n the f o u n t a i n f l a n k i n g the west w a l l are a l s o of Modulor-derived proportion.
A d d i t i o n a l forms used s c u l p t u r a l l y , w i t h
intimations
of modulor p r o p o r t i o n i n g , are found d i s p e r s e d about the c h a p e l .
They a r e
d i s c r e e t l y carved w i t h i n the south spur w a l l on the east facade and
found as h o l l o w s and
ledges w i t h i n the c h a p e l .
are
Modulor dimensions a l s o
determine the f e n e s t r a t i o n p a t t e r n on the south and
n o r t h w a l l s and
the
52
paving
p a t t e r n on the
a l s o uses a s c u l p t u r a l approach to c r e a t e the
ment f o r the c h a p e l .
pews, a l t a r s , and
floor.
Pulpit, choir l o f t ,
fonts, confessionals,
t a b e r n a c l e are i n c o r p o r a t e d
or designed as f r e e - s t a n d i n g o b j e c t s .
candelabra,
i n t o the b u i l d i n g f a b r i c
shows a f i n e
to m a t e r i a l s i n h i s c h o i c e of r i c h A f r i c a n wood f o r the s c u l p t o r
whose a i d he e n l i s t e d f o r the c r a f t i n g of the pews.
as p r a c t i c a l i t y , i s a l s o shown i n the use
equip-
sensitivity
Savina,
S e n s i t i v i t y , as w e l l
of w a t e r - r e s i s t a n t
Burgogne
stone f o r the g e o m e t r i c a l l y p r e c i s e forms of the a l t a r s , i n the bronze used
for
the shaped h a n d l e s , and
i n the use of c o n c r e t e
53
communion r a i l and hand r a i l s .
Corbusier
and
c a s t i r o n f o r the
These are the o b j e c t s designed by
he uses the m a t e r i a l s w i t h which he
R e p e t i t i o n of form and
and
Le
i s most knowledgeable.
s i l h o u e t t e i s used to g i v e the
ornamental
83
q u a l i t i e s of v a r i e t y and
of f o r m s ' c o m p o s i n g
p r o f i l e and
interest.
communion r a i l
the t h r e e towers.
and w i t h
The
i s s l i g h t l y l a r g e r and more elegant
pews, f o n t s , curved
v i s u a l counterpoint
The
the b u i l d i n g .
due
in
the
Appropriately,
i s more monumental due
i s o l a t e d p o s i t i o n on f o u r s l e n d e r
'family
c a s t i r o n communion r a i l ,
the contour of the pews.
curve than the s t a i r r a i l s and
stairways.
most obvious example i s the
s i l h o u e t t e , coheres both w i t h o t h e r r a i l i n g s found on
various stairways
The
The
the
to i t s s l i g h t
to i t s placement
and
posts.
choir l o f t ,
and
communion r a i l o f f e r a
to the r e c t i l i n e a r forms of the p u l p i t , a l t a r s ,
l a t t e r also counterpoise
and
or respond to the major curves of
In a d d i t i o n , refinement g i v e s p r e c i s i o n to the forms and
the f u n c t i o n each must perform.
The
to
f o l d of the communion r a i l makes a
convenient nook f o r p r a y i n g hands and
the h o u r g l a s s
shape and
placement of the bronze handles make them easy to g r i p .
recessed
The wooden h o r i -
z o n t a l members of the pews are moulded to the human form.
Texture i s c o n s c i o u s l y used to g i v e both r e l a t e d n e s s
d i s t i n c t i v e n e s s to the elements.
(striated concrete
lar
while
serves
surface)
i s one
example.
s u r f a c e on the f o u n t a i n forms and
to v i s u a l l y u n i t e the f o u n t a i n w i t h
to i n t e g r a t e the c h o i r l o f t w i t h
the
i t s supporting
curved
function.
The
the
wall,
surface
wall.
Form i s v i g o r o u s l y a r t i c u l a t e d to g i v e a e s t h e t i c e x p r e s s i o n
s t r u c t u r e and
Simi-
chapel.
i t c o n t r a s t s the s t r i a t e d cube of the p u l p i t w i t h the nubby
of the adjacent
and
the w a l l
s u r f a c i n g surround the c e r e m o n i a l door.
r e p e t i t i o n of the rough c o n c r e t e
Texture serves
c o n t r a s t of the r o o f w i t h
a g a i n s t a nubby g u n n i t e
c o n t r a s t s of c o n c r e t e
nearby gargoyle
The
to the p a r t s
The
to
b u l g e i n the west e x t e r i o r w a l l d e c l a r e s
presence of c o n f e s s i o n a l s w i t h i n .
The
louvered
and
fenestrated
towers
the
84
p r o c l a i m independent a l c o v e s beneath.
f u n c t i o n and
The
north s t a i r c a s e declares i t s
s t r u c t u r a l independence from the w a l l .
reveal underlying
Expansion
s t r u c t u r a l and m a t e r i a l c h a n g e s . I n
vening west w a l l between n o r t h and
joints
t h i s way
the
inter-
southwestern towers i s e s t a b l i s h e d
as
an independent wrapped form ( F i g . 14).
Curves of changing d i r e c t i o n are made to meet a t sharp p o i n t s .
i s a Modern Movement d e t a i l which d i s t i n g u i s h e s s i l h o u e t t e and
from such precedents as A r t Nouveau ( F i g . 2 3 ) .
The
This
composition
meeting of c h o i r
loft
w i t h w a l l , the groove s e p a r a t i n g c e i l i n g from w a l l , the deep r e c e s s i o n of
doors, and
the r e c e s s i o n of the south windows w i t h i n the w a l l a l s o show a
concern f o r c l e a r l y d e f i n e d a r c h i t e c t u r a l elements.
d e f i n i t i o n of s u r f a c e and
c o n t r o l i s created.
sity:
With such sharp
d e t a i l the o v e r a l l sense of p r e c i s i o n and
rational
Each of t h e s e d e t a i l s i s a l s o a programmatic neces-
the f o u n t a i n f u n c t i o n s as c i s t e r n , the s l o p i n g r o o f d r a i n s
water, the geometric p r o j e c t i o n s and
depressions
references
f u n c t i o n as s h e l v e s
t o c u b i s t composition
but
rain-
are not merely a b s t r a c t
for
liturgical
56
implements or d e v o t i o n a l o f f e r i n g s .
Colour
white g u n n i t e
i s a l s o used to ornament the e d i f i c e .
e x t e r i o r , the w h i t e p l a s t e r i n t e r i o r , and
s t a i n of the r o o f , the w a l l of the n o r t h e a s t
northeast
In a d d i t i o n to
corner
i s p a i n t e d p u r p l e and
chapel
yellow.^
the
the brown-grey
i s p a i n t e d red and
Apart
the
from the p o s s i b l e
r e l i g i o u s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of these c o l o u r s
(which w i l l be d i s c u s s e d
later)
they a l s o have an a e s t h e t i c e x p l a n a t i o n .
For example, the red may
serve
to
' a c t i v a t e ' the t i n y space of the s i d e c h a p e l
of the n o r t h e a s t
p l a n e and
corner may
to h e i g h t e n
yellow-rimmed windows.
serve
and
the p u r p l e and
to r e a s s e r t a p o t e n t i a l l y l o s t
the p e r c e p t i o n
of b r i g h t n e s s
The window images and
coming through
yellow
wall
the
t h e i r method of a p p l i c a t i o n
85
s e r v e as c o l o u r a c c e n t s
s c a t t e r i n g r e d , y e l l o w , b l u e , v i o l e t , and green,
l i g h t - c r e a t e d shapes w i t h i n t h e nave.
Colour
r e i n f o r c e s the d i f f e r e n t
depths o f t h e window placements and a c t s as a s c r e e n p a r t i a l l y
obscuring
v i s i o n i n t o the nave w h i l e r e t a i n i n g views t o the o u t s i d e .
L i g h t r e f l e c t e d from the p a i n t e d
s u r f a c e s of t h e n i c h e i n t h e east
w a l l onto t h e s t a t u e w i t h i n s e r v e s t o e n l i v e n t h e v e n e r a t e d
hint of yellow,
relic.
green, and r e d w i t h i n t h e n i c h e u n i t e s t h e n i c h e
t i c a l l y w i t h t h e n o r t h and south windows and s o f t e n s t h e contours
relic.
The
colourisof the
T h i s a d j a c e n t l y a p p l i e d c o l o u r s e r v e s t o encase t h e s t a t u e o f
the V i r g i n " i n a s u f f u s e d and warm glow which o t h e r w i s e
neutral
, c o l d , o r o f a substance-negating
would have been
brightness.
Le C o r b u s i e r used c o l o u r p r e v i o u s l y f o r ornamental e f f e c t , as an
a e s t h e t i c t o o l c r e a t i n g cohesion
form.
throughout, and t o a r t i c u l a t e space and
The r o l e o f c o l o u r i n c r e a t i n g " p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l " responses had
justified
i t s use i n the past f o r Le C o r b u s i e r
and does so a g a i n a t N o t r e -
58
Dame-du-Haut.
Drawing upon h i s s t u d i e s o f t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between c o l o u r
and human response, Le C o r b u s i e r
expresses
t h e p l a c e o f p i l g r i m a g e as a
p l a c e o f p h y s i c a l awareness and as a p l a c e of j o y .
F o r the p a t r o n t h i s was
an understanding
and a f u n c t i o n deemed important
and i n t e g r a l t o t h e b u i l d i n g
program i t s e l f .
The r e p e t i t i o n o f form, the j u x t a p o s i t i o n of v a r i o u s
t e x t u r e s , the p r e c i s e a r t i c u l a t i o n o f form and d e t a i l , and the j u d i c i o u s use
of c o l o u r and i t s manner of a p p l i c a t i o n were a l l methods used by Le
Corbusier
i n h i s p r e v i o u s work t o c r e a t e ornamental e f f e c t .
It i s largely
because o f d e t a i l s o f c o l o u r , form, a r t i c u l a t i o n and t e x t u r e t h a t t h e
chapel
i s recognized
as a t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y
edifice.
I n a d d i t i o n , many
d e c o r a t i v e d e t a i l s a l s o i d e n t i f y t h e b u i l d i n g as an e c c l e s i a s t i c a l one.
86
Liturgical art
L i t u r g i c a l a r t i s a r t which i s e i t h e r an i n t e g r a l p a r t of the s a c r e d
liturgy
( p o e t r y , m u s i c ) , immediately
connected w i t h l i t u r g y
( a l t a r ) , or
remotely connected w i t h i t (images of v e n e r a t i o n , w a l l p a i n t i n g s ,
and
59
statues).
As i s demonstrated
t a t i o n responded
t o the whole range of these needs.
and designed a sound-enhancing
and o r a t i o n .
above, Le C o r b u s i e r ' s scheme of ornamenHe shaped
h i s spaces
b e l l tower and e l e v a t e d g a l l e r i e s f o r music
He c a l l e d f o r t h h i s s k i l l s as a f o r m - g i v e r to c r e a t e church
f u r n i t u r e such as the a l t a r and pews, and he used h i s s k i l l s as an imagemaker to c r e a t e those images of v e n e r a t i o n which a r e wanted i n a C a t h o l i c
church.
Twelve canon laws e x i s t e d which safeguarded the importance,
defini-
t i o n , and use of l i t u r g i c a l a r t - i n b u i l d i n g s and f u r n i s h i n g s and
ornamental
considerations.*^
Notre-Dame-du-Haut.^
their
Of t h e s e o n l y t h r e e were of consequence a t
For the most p a r t , the laws c o n c e r n i n g
liturgical
a r t were merely g e n e r a l g u i d e l i n e s making l i t t l e r e f e r e n c e t o s p e c i f i c
62
A
application.
A l s o , the p e r i o d of Notre-Dame-du-Haut's c o n s t r u c t i o n was
one of u n c e r t a i n t y over the i s s u e s s u r r o u n d i n g s a c r e d and l i t u r g i c a l a r t ,
a s i t u a t i o n then r e c o g n i z e d by the French Church.
i t was
63
D e s p i t e the
ferment,
recommended t h a t the l o c a l c u r e , a member of a Sacred A r t Commission,
64
or the A r c h b i s h o p h i m s e l f , guide the a r c h i t e c t or a r t i s t
Many reknowned avant-garde
endeavours
i n h i s task.
a r t i s t s had a l r e a d y a s s i s t e d the Church
t o c r e a t e a contemporary
in its
ornament and, as has been noted,
Mediator D e i r e c o g n i z e d the importance
of modern a r t i n s e r v i n g
liturgi-
c a l needs.
O b v i o u s l y , Archbishop Dubourg's, and l a t e r Archbishop
Dubois's,
acceptance of the c h a p e l f o r c o n s e c r a t i o n acknowledged the
of canon law.
In a d d i t i o n , the a d v i c e of l e a d i n g church f i g u r e s t h a t a
d i a l o g u e between a r t i s t and
f o l l o w e d , and
was
65
not
church r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s be conducted
Le C o r b u s i e r d i d r e c e i v e guidance.
s t r u c t e d Le C o r b u s i e r
Mary".
fulfillment
intended
Canon Ledeur had i n -
i n "the Mystery of the Church and
T h i s took the form of a " l o n g and
as a r e q u e s t .
f o r f i n d i n g a p p r o p r i a t e and
was
of the
Virgin
patient conversation"
Thus Le C o r b u s i e r was
given
66
and
responsibility
o r i g i n a l ways to handle the matter - f o r the
67
French Church was
The
not adverse to o r i g i n a l i t y i n s t y l e or m o t i f s .
c h a p e l i s spangled
to the V i r g i n Mary.
used i n l i t a n i e s to
w i t h symbols e a s i l y i d e n t i f i e d as
There are a l s o c e r t a i n t e x t u a l r e f e r e n c e s
68
references
commonly
Her.
On the p a i n t e d windows Le C o r b u s i e r p a i n t e d symbols which r e f e r
the p l a c e of the V i r g i n w i t h i n t h e o l o g y
C h r i s t and man.
In the p o p u l a r
to e a r t h the r a i n " ,
and
to
her r o l e as mediator between
l i t a n i e s Mary i s "the c l o u d which brought
"the c l o u d which e n c l o s e d
the sun",
and
"the b e n e f i -
69
cient r a i n cloud".
She
i s a l s o "the moon" and
the advent of great l i g h t " . ^
She
"the s t a r who
i s seen i n r e l a t i o n to her d i v i n e o f f -
s p r i n g as " s m a l l e r and weaker t h a t the S u n " . ^
Clouds,
s t a r s , a moon, and
darkened s k i e s p a i n t e d on the windows r e f e r to these l i t a n i e s .
c e l e b r a t e s her as "Maria
The
Stella",
" S t e l l a Maria",
l a t t e r i s i m p l i e d by the words " l a mer"
w a l l windows and
thereby
t r a v e l l e r ' s guide.
chapel, enshrined
The
churches b u i l t
and
The
" S t a r of the
w r i t t e n on one
of the
chapel
72
Sea".
south
remind the viewer t h a t Mary i s the s a i l o r ' s
s t a t u e of the V i r g i n ,
i n i t s g l a s s n i c h e and
73
" j e w e l " of the c h a p e l .
announces
the venerated
r e l i c of
or
the
p l a c e d so as to glow, i s the
Such metaphors a r e found i n the h i s t o r y of
a t Ronchamp t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r
i s known to have read.
the
A few t r a d i t i o n a l symbols a l l u d e t o C h r i s t ' s presence.
They a r e h i s
image i n s c r i b e d on t h e a l t a r c r o s s e s and carved w i t h i n the major c r o s s i n
the sanctuary,
the c r o s s i n s c r i b e d i n the pavement, and t h e c h i - r h o and the
the f i s h p a i n t e d on the t a b e r n a c l e c r o s s .
The c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f symbolic
r e f e r e n c e s t o C h r i s t about the a l t a r demonstrates t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r was
concerned t o c o r r e c t l y present
l i t u r g i c a l and t h e o l o g i c a l d o c t r i n e . H i s
l a t e r comments and adjustments w i t h i n the sanctuary
to the t h e o l o g i c a l q u e s t i o n s
show he was s e n s i t i v e
then b e i n g proposed r e g a r d i n g the r e l a t i o n 74
s h i p between Mary and C h r i s t .
t h i s from Canon F e r r y . ^
Moreover, he had sought c l a r i f i c a t i o n of
The presence o f these symbolic
C h r i s t a r e e n t i r e l y a p p r o p r i a t e because, although
references to
the chapel i s dedi-
cated t o the N a t i v i t y of the V i r g i n , i t a l s o c e l e b r a t e s Corpus
76
Christi
as one of i t s few y e a r l y p i l g r i m a g e s .
The
d e n i a l s made by Le C o r b u s i e r and h i s patrons
a s s o c i a t i o n s t o the windows c o u l d be understood
of t r a d i t i o n a l
as an attempt t o r e a f f i r m
the modernity of the c h a p e l and were d i r e c t e d a t d i s a s s o c i a t i n g the t e c h nique
was
involved with
that o f the Middle A g e s . ^
stained glass
undergoing a r e v i v a l a t t h a t time, and was v i g o r o u s l y supported and
78
made by Pe*re C o u t u r i e r ,
was
Although
Le C o r b u s i e r chose not t o employ i t .
Thus, he
a b l e t o remain c o n s i s t e n t w i t h h i s e a r l i e r d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e window
t h a t i n c l u d e d the a b i l i t y t o commune w i t h n a t u r e v i s u a l l y as w e l l as
philosophically.
I t was a l s o c o n s i s t e n t w i t h Le C o r b u s i e r ' s post-World
79
War I I a e s t h e t i c aims which i n c l u d e d the use of c o l o u r e d panes o f g l a s s .
At Notre-Dame-du-Haut Le C o r b u s i e r d e v i s e d p a i n t e d images and a
of a p p l i c a t i o n t h a t allowed
technique
a f u s i o n o f h i s p e r s o n a l t r a d i t i o n of u s i n g
images and a r c h i t e c t u r a l elements w i t h those of the Church.
Although he
eschewed the m e d i e v a l t r a d i t i o n o f s t a i n e d g l a s s , he d i d not i g n o r e i t ;
a sketch by him r e v e a l s t h a t he used a t r a d i t i o n a l Rose window as a
80
s t a r t i n g p o i n t f o r h i s own
window d e s i g n s .
In t h i s way,
r e d e f i n e t h i s o l d t r a d i t i o n i n terms of h i s own
l i g h t , and
image.
he sought to
understanding
Thus Le C o r b u s i e r d i r e c t e d P^re
Couturier's
i n s t a i n e d g l a s s i n t o wider and more f l e x i b l e r e l i g i o u s
interest
81
expressions.
I t i s l i k e l y t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r a l s o used c o l o u r i n a
symbolic
of c o l o u r ,
f a s h i o n i n c e r t a i n p l a c e s at N&tre-Dame-du-Haut.
liturgically
The
r e d which
appears i n the n o r t h e a s t c h a p e l , In Church symbolism, may suggest the b l o o d
82
83
of martyrdom
or the j o y of c e l e b r a t i o n .
As the c o l o u r of r o s y dawn,
i t may
r e f e r to Mary as "the V i r g i n of the Morning S t a r " .
c h a p e l r e c e i v e s the morning l i g h t and
The
northeast
c o n t a i n s the phrase " e t o i l e
du
matin" w r i t t e n on i t s l o u v r e i m p l y i n g i t s use as a t r a d i t i o n a l Lady's
c h a p e l , a p l a c e of s u p p l i c a t i o n .
S i n c e to Le C o r b u s i e r the c o l o u r r e d
denoted i n t e n s e a c t i v i t y , h i s c h o i c e c o i n c i d e s w i t h a l l of these
religious
84
interpretations.
may
V i o l e t and y e l l o w found
85
a l l u d e to "Regal p u r p l e and
majesty and pagentry,
c l e r g y and
gold".
on the n o r t h sanctuary
wall
These c o l o u r s , a s s o c i a t e d w i t h
a r e a p p r o p r i a t e symbols f o r t h i s a r e a from which
c h o i r members emerge i n o f f i c i a l and
The metaphors, a n a l o g i e s , and
festive
dress.
s i m i l i e s used at NStre-Dame-du-Haut
were not merely a p a r t of a l o n g past t r a d i t i o n , they were a l s o a p a r t of
contemporary p o e t r y , l i t e r a t u r e , and p a i n t i n g .
Nor were these
and v i s u a l a n a l o g i e s f o r e i g n to avant-garde r e l i g i o u s uses:
of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s contemporaries
be found
employed them.
i n the w r i t i n g s of P a u l C l a u d e l and
at least
two
Such p o e t i c terms can
such v i s u a l metaphors were
*
86
then b e i n g employed by Leger at Assy and Audincourt.. ( F i g . 32)..
themes i n t r o d u c e d were a l s o s i g n i f i c a n t
literary
to the e r a .
to the V i r g i n and M a r i o l o g y were then extremely
. The-
The
devotional cults
popular,
e s p e c i a l l y so i n
90
France.
87
The m i r a c l e s a t Lourdes and Fatima o c c u r r e d w i t h i n t h i s
p e r i o d and the B o d i l y Assumption of the V i r g i n was
in
1950.
officially
time
recognized
88
No tre-Dame-du-Haut, w i t h i t s d e d i c a t i o n t o the V i r g i n and i t s p r o m i 4
n e n t l y - d i s p l a y e d r e f e r e n c e s t o Her, was
t h e r e f o r e a r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of a
v e r y s i g n i f i c a n t contemporary r e l i g i o u s s e n s i b i l i t y .
o t h e r a r c h i t e c t , A n t o n i Gaudi, who
g i c a l understanding,
was
And
at l e a s t
one
well-known f o r h i s p i e t y and
litur-
had used images c u l l e d from t r a d i t i o n and from n a t u r e
89
to best give expression to h i s unquestionably
sincere f a i t h .
And
just
as he had i n f u s e d w i t h i n h i s m o t i f s not o n l y r e f e r e n c e s t o t h e o l o g y
but
t o a r c h i t e c t u r a l p h i l o s o p h y , so too d i d Le C o r b u s i e r .
S i g n i f i c a n t examples of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s iconography
the c h a p e l .
exist within
They i n c l u d e the m o t i f s found on the c e r e m o n i a l door, t h e
t a b e r n a c l e , and the b u i l d i n g forms
themselves.
E a r l y v e r s i o n s of the d e s i g n f o r the c e r e m o n i a l door r e v e a l t h a t the
b a s i c format and placement o f the m o t i f s corresponds
geometric
preconceived
90
schema, the " s t a r r y pentagon" and the "convex pentagon".
Le C o r b u s i e r j u s t i f i e d these geometric
to
f i g u r e s by comparison t o
medieval
91
example.
He thus i n t e n d e d t o r e p r e s e n t a modern r e s t a t e m e n t
of
tradi-
t i o n a l r e l i g i o u s p r a c t i c e and t o a f f i r m the c u l t u r a l l i n e a g e of h i s concerns.
He i d e n t i f i e d the e s s e n t i a l m o t i f s of the c e r e m o n i a l door as
"sun, moon, b i r d s , the convex pentagon, the s t a r r y pentagon, c l o u d s , s e a ,
92
meanders, windows, and two hands...".
Corbusier's iconography,
significance.
Each had a precedent w i t h i n Le
t o each he had a t t r i b u t e d a s p e c i f i c and
personal
At Notre-Dame-du-Haut he combined m o t i f s from h i s n o t a t i o n a l
93
system employed i n urban p l a n n i n g schemes and i n h i s Modulor.
m o t i f s a l s o appeared i n h i s p a i n t i n g s and
murals.
Similar
On the lower l e f t - h a n d c o r n e r of the c e r e m o n i a l
door ( e x t e r i o r
face)
i s a w h i t e wavy l i n e , r e c o g n i z a b l e as the "meander", the slow and waste94
f u l " n a t u r a l " pathway unenhanced by man's endeavours.
The meander had
a contemporary urgency i n the c o n t e x t of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s C.I.A.M. g r i d of
1949.
Here i t became t h e " v - 4 "
d i t i o n and h i s t o r y evidenced
95
environment. and expressed
parameter s y m b o l i z i n g the v e s t i g e of
tra-
i n o l d w i n d i n g p a t h s s t i l l v i s i b l e i n man's
F i r s t used as a term of d e r i s i o n i n Urbanisme ( 1 9 2 7 ) ,
96
i n the words "chemins des anes", the meander developed i n t o
a concept g i v e n p h i l o s o p h i c a l i m p l i c a t i o n s i n P r e c i s i o n s (1930) where i t
took the form of the " l o i du meander", "a m i r a c u l o u s
symbol used t o i n t r o 97
duce p r o p o s i t i o n s f o r urban and a r c h i t e c t u r a l
Prominently
reform".
d i s p l a y e d on the e x t e r i o r door f a c e a r e the two
l i s t e d by Le C o r b u s i e r as among the e s s e n t i a l m o t i f s .
hands
The b l u e hand
appears t o be i n a g e s t u r e of a c t i o n , of r e c e i v i n g , or of g i v i n g .
other, red w i t h o u t s t r e t c h e d f i n g e r s s l i g h t l y curved, suggests a
of welcome.
The hand had a l o n g and i m p o r t a n t
development of a p e r s o n a l iconography.
p l a c e i n Le
The
gesture
Corbusier's
As w i t h t h e " l o i du meander", i t
found i t s b r o a d e r a p p l i c a t i o n as a p h i l o s o p h i c a l s t a t e m e n t , t h a t of
the
98
open hand, " w i l l i n g t o g i v e and t o r e c e i v e " .
important
The hand was
a motif
t o Le C o r b u s i e r not o n l y f o r the many r h e t o r i c a l uses t o w h i c h
he c o u l d put i t , but a l s o f o r i t s f o r m a l v a l u e s .
Having i t s f i r s t major
s c u l p t u r a l m a n i f e s t a t i o n i n the g i a n t hand i n c o r p o r a t e d i n the V a i l l a n t 99
C o u t u r i e r monument i n 1937,
i t was
l a t e r g i v e n a r c h i t e c t u r a l form a t
C h a n d i g a r g h . I n both instances i t possessed strong emotional
ments.
The
t e l l i n g was
form i t s e l f was
attach-
t o undergo many t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s ; t h e most
the metamorphosis of the hand i n t o a b i r d , much l i k e the
ornamenting the war memorial pyramid a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut.^^
Here,
one
because of the c o n t e x t , the h a n d - b i r d takes on the a d d i t i o n a l
of
association
the dove, b i r d of peace and h o p e , ( F i g . 16).
The windows to which Le C o r b u s i e r r e f e r s i n The Chapel at Ronchamp
appear t o be the two
r e c t a n g u l a r forms found between the two
hands ( F i g .
102
17).
The t r a n s p a r e n c y of g l a s s i s suggested by the i n d i c a t i o n of a
background p e r c e i v e d through them.
Windows, the views they frame, the
" n e g a t i v e " space they i n t r o d u c e i n t o the " p o s i t i v e " p l a n e of the w a l l ,
and the problems they p r e s e n t w i t h r e s p e c t t o l i g h t , h e a t , and v i s i b i l i t y ,
103
had
l o n g been among the problems which i n v o l v e d Le C o r b u s i e r .
window placement
new
was
an e x p r e s s i o n o f the freedom i n h e r e n t i n the use of
c o n s t r u c t i o n methods.
The attempt
to come t o terms w i t h t h i s
freedom l e d to work w i t h "trace's" and the Modulor.
t i o n a l aims i n c o n t r o l l i n g the i n t e r i o r environment,
to nature, h i s funcand h i s a e s t h e t i c aims
c r e a t i n g a b a l a n c e d , c o n t r o l l e d , and p r o p o r t i o n e d facade.
window had a r c h i t e c t u r a l , moral, and s o c i a l
Hence, the
ramifications.
The c l o u d s a l s o mentioned by Le C o r b u s i e r a r e found on b o t h
e x t e r i o r and
i n t e r i o r f a c e s of the door.
e s s e n t i a l l y a s i g n of d i s g u i s e d optimism.
new
The window p r e s e n t e d
a c h a l l e n g e t o h i s p h i l o s o p h i c a l aims of r e l a t i n g man
of
A l s o , the
the
For Le C o r b u s i e r the c l o u d
I t was
not an
was
unfavourable
s i g n , but j u s t another u b i q u i t o u s aspect of n a t u r e and the h a r b i n g e r of
beneficial
rain.
Other forms a l s o found on the e x t e r i o r f a c e of the c e r e m o n i a l
appear to have s p e c i f i c r e f e r e n c e s , a l t h o u g h these are l e f t
The
door
u n d e f i n e d by
s m a l l t r i a n g u l a r shape r i s i n g from the bottom s e c t i o n of
the door c o u l d be i n t e r p r e t e d as a l a n d form.
the same b l a c k m o t t l i n g s , emerge i n h i s urban
t r i a n g u l a r and skewed pyramid
Forms such as t h i s , w i t h
106
study diagrams.
The
shapes of the c e n t r a l area r e c a l l a number of
93
images used by Le C o r b u s i e r :
pyramids,
t r i a n g l e s , geometry g e n e r a l l y ,
and P l a t o ' s f i v e s o l i d s s p e c i f i c a l l y . ' ' ' ^
A l l of t h e s e have i n common
t h e i r a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h the i n t e l l e c t u a l achievements of
man.
Forms w i t h v a r i e g a t e d p a t t e r n s d e r i v e d from urban p l a n n i n g p r e s e n t a t i o n s are a l s o p l a c e d on the i n t e r i o r door f a c e .
The t r i a n g u l a r forms w i t h
the orb above a r e , when viewed t o g e t h e r , s t r i k i n g l y s i m i l a r to Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
108
" j e u de s o l e i l " m o t i f
( F i g . 33).
I t r e f e r s to a l a r g e c o n s t e l l a t i o n
of i d e a s w e l l known to those conversant w i t h the w r i t i n g of Le C o r b u s i e r .
The s p i r a l dominating
the composition resembles
t h a t used by Le C o r b u s i e r
to r e p r e s e n t the F i b o n a c c i s p i r a l which f i g u r e d predominantly
i n h i s work
109
w i t h the Modular.
The
s m a l l f l o a t i n g forms suggest
f u n c t i o n they were shown to have on the e x t e r i o r .
c l o u d s r e p e a t i n g the
G i v i n g o r d e r t o these
a p p a r e n t l y d i s p a r a t e images i s the " s t a r r y pentagon" and
pentagon" mentioned e a r l i e r , which form the geometric
which the images and t h e i r background a r e o r g a n i z e d
tance of the pentagons l i e s
the "convex
framework upon
( F i g . 17).
The
impor-
i n the c o n t r o l which they import t o the d e s i g n ,
a d e s i g n f e a t u r e Le C o r b u s i e r f e l t n e c e s s a r y t o a l l g r e a t
I t i s obvious t h a t the m o t i f s chosen,
and
art.^^
e s p e c i a l l y those p o i n t e d
out by Le C o r b u s i e r , had a s p e c i a l meaning t o him.
However, the way
in
which they were j u x t a p o s e d a l s o suggests a meaning has been hidden beneath
t h e i r apparent
random d i s p e r s a l .
When each of the m o t i f s i s i n t e r p r e t e d
i n d e p e n d e n t l y , a c r y p t i c d e p i c t i o n of the m a t e r i a l world as i t i s m a n i f e s t
through
time emerges.
The
e x t e r i o r door f a c e w i t h the "meander" and
forms at the bottom suggest
o r g a n i z a t i o n and work of man
a l l a r e the cosmic
forces.
a c u l t u r a l and
the n a t u r a l unorganized
geological past.
Above t h i s
and perhaps c i v i l i z a t i o n a r e r e c a l l e d .
the
Above
The e x t e r i o r door f a c e suggests man's r e s o u r c e s ,
94
h i s endeavours, and the r e l a t i o n s h i p between sky, e a r t h , s e a , and
w i t h i n h i s ' p a r a d i s e ' on e a r t h . B y
man
u s i n g such n o t a t i o n a l d e v i c e s
c u l l e d from u r b a n p l a n n i n g , Le C o r b u s i e r sought t o draw a t t e n t i o n t o h i s
i d e a l s and hopes f o r man
i n t h e newly dawning e r a .
On the i n t e r i o r door f a c e the a s c e n d i n g ,
veys a sense of c r e a t i v e f o r c e .
t r u n c a t e d t r i a n g l e con-
I t passes through an a r e a c o n t a i n i n g a
s c h e m a t i z a t i o n of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s " j e u de s o l e i l " , a symbol r e f e r r i n g t o
the n a t u r a l o r d e r of t h i n g s , and w h i c h s i g n i f i e d to him the b a s i s from
112
which a l l a r c h i t e c t u r e arose.
The d a i l y p a t h of the sun, the twenty-
f o u r hour day, and the d i v i s i o n i n t o n i g h t and day i s evoked by
these
assembled m o t i f s .
order,
They appear r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of a c o s m o l o g i c a l
but a l s o of the making of o r d e r w i t h a l l i t s c r e a t i v e energy more
p h a t i c a l l y p o r t r a y e d than on the e x t e r i o r .
The
veys the heat and v o l a t i l e n a t u r e of c r e a t i o n .
em-
i n t e r i o r door f a c e conThe
containment of t h i s
energy by t h e F i b o n a c c i s p i r a l , w i t h the g u i d i n g and b e n e f i c e n t . hand above,
suggests
t h a t even t h i s c r e a t i v e power s h o u l d , or can, be
The F i b o n a c c i s p i r a l and the Modulor were j u s t two of Le
controlled.
Corbusier's
p r a c t i c a l and p e r s o n a l c o n t r o l l i n g d e v i c e s .
T h i s i d e a of P a r a d i s e and the means by w h i c h t o a t t a i n i t were exp r e s s e d by Le C o r b u s i e r many times and through many mediums, i n s k e t c h e s
1910-1965 ( F i g . 34), i n l i t h o g r a p h s 1910-1965 ( F i g . 3 5 ) , and i n words:
H a b i t a t i o n i s l i f e , knowing how t o l i v e ! How t o use the
b l e s s i n g s of God:
the sun and the s p i r i t t h a t He has g i v e n
t o men t o enable them t o a c h i e v e the j o y of l i v i n g on e a r t h
and to f i n d a g a i n the l o s t P a r a d i s e . ( 1 9 3 6 ) ^ 3
These m o t i f s were r e l e v a n t not o n l y t o Le C o r b u s i e r but t o t h e
French C a t h o l i c Church as w e l l .
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, f i n d s t h e s e
Abbe B o l l e - R e d d a t ,
the r e s i d e n t p r i e s t a t
' s i g n s and symbols' r e a d i l y a c c e s s i b l e t o
95
religious implication.
For example, i n r e f e r r i n g t o t h e window m o t i f
the c e r e m o n i a l door he adds the e x c l a m a t i o n
"Annunciation"
on
(window
114
made t o r e c e i v e the l i g h t and a l l o w i t t o pass i n t o the
interior).
Below t h i s window, " t h i s s i g n of t h e V i r g i n , " he i s a l s o a b l e t o i n t u i t
"the meeting of the E a r t h w i t h t h e Sky" - a h a l l o w e d p l a c e . I t i s an
apt d e s c r i p t i o n of the c e r e m o n i a l door and the c h a p e l as a whole.
p r i a t e l y , the Church too had
Appro-
i t s c o n c e p t i o n of P a r a d i s e w h i c h found i t s
symbolic and e a r t h l y r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s i n f l o w e r s and the g i f t s of
nature
36).
(Fig.
The t a b e r n a c l e of Notre-Dame-du-Haut c o n s i s t s of a c u b i c , c a s t i r o n
box perched upon t h r e e p l a n a r s u p p o r t s
(reminiscent of a minature E s p r i t
116
Nouveau p a v i l i o n r a i s e d upon p i l o t i )
( F i g . 37).
I t had i t s impetus i n
t r a d i t i o n a l p r o t o t y p e s which Le C o r b u s i e r r e f a s h i o n e d i n t o a form more
amenable t o h i s aesthetic.''''''^ I t s w h i t e enamelled s u r f a c e s a r e adorned
w i t h images and c o l o u r .
Although
the t a b e r n a c l e i s a n e c e s s a r y
p i e c e of
church f u r n i t u r e - one of the most h e a v i l y shrouded i n m y s t e r y and
symbolic
a s s o c i a t i o n s - t h e r e i s no church s t i p u l a t i o n t h a t i t be e m b e l l i s h e d w i t h
118
images such as t h e s e .
However, i t i s suggested t h a t the t a b e r n a c l e
s h o u l d be an ornamented r e c e p t a c l e w h i c h r e p r e s e n t s "a r e a l d w e l l i n g of
119
God among men".
Le C o r b u s i e r r e q u e s t e d i n f o r m a t i o n about the d i m e n s i o n s ,
u s e s , and iconography of the t a b e r n a c l e and, on h i s own i n i t i a t i v e r e f e r r e d
120
s e v e r a l d e s i g n s t o Canon F e r r y f o r h i s s e l e c t i o n .
d i v i d e d i n t o t h r e e geometric
'. ' .The
areas w i t h f o u r images p l a c e d w i t h i n :
b i r d s and two b u t t e r f l i e s on the s o u t h , two f l o w e r s and two
north.
A l l of the images a r e rendered
two
l e a v e s on
the
i n t h e same manner as t h o s e found
on the windows and r e i t e r a t e the same g e n e r a l theme.
maining
s i d e s . have been
east and west s i d e s a r e d i f f e r e n t .
However, the r e -
96
The front of the tabernacle contains free-floating abstract shapes
that imply clouds, an interpretation strengthened by their blue colour
and use elsewhere as such (Fig. 37).
Striations, superimposed on these
floating diaphanous shapes, suggest atmosphere and contribute to a sense of
forms drifting within an undefined and unusual space.
Within this space i s
a lamb outlined in black with a cross held between i t s forelegs. The lamb
is emphasised by two slashes of blue which inscribe a right angle on i t .
Although the right angle has a great importance to Le Corbusier, the lamb
motif is not known within his repertoire of imagery.
necessary to search for i t within religious
It i s therefore
iconography.
As portrayed, the lamb i s the traditional Agnus Dei representing
Christ and signifying the prefiguration of His crucifixion.
Le Corbusier
emphasised the idea of crucifixion with a black, painted sketch of the
crucified Christ on the attached cross above which the chi-rho i s inscribed
on its reverse. Such layering of analogous symbols was common in religious
ornamental schemes and depictions. That Le Corbusier was aware of the
analogies possible and the significance of associating these images is.
indicated by Le Corbusier's familiarity with the Isenheim Altarpiece,
121
where a similar juxtaposition of images appear.
Also, the figure of a
youth carrying the lamb over his shoulders, which belongs to a group of
prototype images for Christ, was known to Le Corbusier. He had a Greek
122
statue of this subject in his Paris studio,
and he had underlined the
references to pagan precedents and relationships for the Christian p i l 123
grimage to Ronchamp in i t s published history.
i: It may be that the
classical source of the Christian image suggested a universality in the
motif and therefore attracted Le Corbusier to i t .
Le Corbusier enriched
the tabernacle with new associations by coinciding the right angle with
97
the lamb.
The r i g h t angle was
C o r b u s i e r which s i g n i f i e d man
same year he had
Right
Angle".
an extremely
important
symbol to Le
s t a n d i n g u p r i g h t i n the landscape.
In the
c e l e b r a t e d the symbol i n v e r s e i n h i s poem "Poem to the
1 2 4
The back of the t a b e r n a c l e c o n t a i n s a number of images which i n
t h e i r combination
suggest
a landscape
scene ( F i g . 3 8 ) .
A black
d e f i n e s the h o r i z o n and white dashes a l l u d e t o waves below i t .
shapes r i s i n g from a f l a t base suggest mountains and
line
Jagged
a b a r r e n t r e e and
a v a r i e g a t e d form of t h r e e V-shaped d i s k s p o i s e d upon the h o r i z o n
c o n t r i b u t e to the r e f e r e n c e s s u g g e s t i n g c r e a t i o n and
e a r t h and water, or perhaps a sunset and
the s e p a r a t i o n of
the time of the
Angelus.
The d e s i g n of the back f a c e i s r e p l e t e w i t h symbols of death
rebirth.;
water.
and
of the power and b e n e f i c e n c e of nature - e a r t h , sky,
These are frequent t o p i c s d i s c u s s e d by Le C o r b u s i e r and
to h i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g
of a r c h i t e c t u r e and p l a n n i n g .
of n a t u r e burgeoning
beneath the bareness
w i t h i n the cosmos i s here
w i n t e r season,
extolled.
The
And,
where image and r e a l i t y c o i n c i d e :
themes of C r u c i f i x i o n and
the
r e l i g i o u s c y c l e of
the sun's r a y s s i g n a l the
sea
(Fig. 39).
f o r i t was
symbolism.
the a i r p l a n e i n d e s c r i b i n g
These have a l r e a d y been shown to have been
p o r t a n t images f o r the c o n c e p t i o n of the s t r u c t u r e .
important
state-
rebirth
m o t i f s to r e l i g i o u s
He r e f e r r e d m e t a p h o r i c a l l y to the s h i p ' s h u l l and
was
life,
on a window i n the south w a l l
F i n a l l y , Le C o r b u s i e r c o n t r i b u t e d new
2
c r e a t i v e process
and
i n a p u r p l e s u n r i s e over a b l u e - g r e e n
Notre-Dame-du-Haut.''' "'
and
essential
as i f to c o n f i r m t h i s m e t a p h y s i c a l
ment, a r e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of i t i s found
of day
The
and
(the t r e e has no l e a v e s )
each a p a r t of the cosmic and
a r e p o i s e d as analogues.
line
im-
The use of metaphor
y e t another means by which Le C o r b u s i e r sought
98
to endow h i s c h a p e l w i t h contemporary
and
believed
design.
126
relevance.
emulated the modern s h i p f o r i t s e f f i c i e n c y i n
i t s modern forms a p p l i c a b l e to a r c h i t e c t u r e and
He
also appreciated
s h i p imagery has
the
128
precedent i n both a r c h i t e c t u r a l
i t s w e l l known and
personal
127
s h i p as a haven.
and
design
industrial
Therefore,
although
religious thinking
s i g n i f i c a n c e to Le C o r b u s i e r
129
endows i t w i t h
contemporary a s s o c i a t i o n s .
Reference to the a i r p l a n e wing was
another means of imbuing
the
c h a p e l w i t h modernity and
an a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h e f f i c i e n c y .
h i s e r a , Le C o r b u s i e r
i n the a i r p l a n e an e f f e c t i v e t o o l f o r u n i v e r s a l
brotherhood and
peace.
special consideration
saw
130
L i k e many of
H i s g l o r i f i c a t i o n of the a i r p l a n e m e r i t e d
i n h i s 1935
p u b l i c a t i o n A i r c r a f t , and
his
flying
e x p e r i e n c e s were i n s p i r a t i o n f o r p o e t i c a l l u s i o n s i n h i s w r i t i n g s of
the
131
1930s.
The
a i r p l a n e had
which Le C o r b u s i e r
had
a l s o served
These images served
of modernity, p r e c i s i o n , haven, and
the s h i p had
d a r i n g , and
The
a i r p l a n e and
and
i n f l u e n c e d h i s view of the world and
the forms of Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
d e r i v a t i o n of these two
t o summon the
f i g h t against
ideas
of man.
l i f e and
a r c h i t e c t u r a l forms
They had
inspired
this i n s p i r a t i o n influenced
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g the p u r e l y
they were used by him
132
on i t s d e d i c a t i o n day.
Corbusier
mediocrity.
secular
images, they were found to be a p p r o p r i a t e
Archbishop of Besancon and
f o r the c h a p e l
Exhibition
c o n s i s t e n t l y by Le
o f f e r e d Le C o r b u s i e r
of a r c h i t e c t u r e and
spirit"
the optimism of man's f u t u r e .
been used p r e v i o u s l y and
to demonstrate man's i n g e n u i t y ,
h i s philosophy
"new
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h modernity i n h i s 1937
I n t e r n a t i o n a l e de 1 ' H a b i t a t i o n .
These forms had
as an image of the
by
the
as p r a i s e w o r t h y metaphors
With the a t t r i b u t i o n of
f i c a n c e f a r beyond t h e i r s t r u c t u r a l f u n c t i o n , these forms a c q u i r e d
signithe
gnificance usually associated
w i t h ornament.
LOO
CHAPTER V I I
LIGHT
The
a l l - p e r v a s i v e symbol o f the c h a p e l i s l i g h t .
L i g h t g i v e s the
c h a p e l i t s m y s t i c a l q u a l i t i e s , guides p i l g r i m p r a c t i c e s , and g i v e s
to form.
life
Of a l l the elements t h a t c o n s t i t u t e Notre-Dame-du-Haut's g r e a t -
ness the c o n t r o l o f l i g h t has the most t o do w i t h the command o f s t r u c t u r e .
Of a l l the symbolic,
s c u l p t u r a l , o r d e c o r a t i v e elements, l i g h t as mani-
p u l a t e d by t h e a r c h i t e c t produces i n the
s p e c t a t o r the most
profound
sense of r e l i g i o u s mystery, a f a c t commented upon by v i r t u a l l y
critic.
1
every
And i t i s i n the program f o r the h a n d l i n g o f l i g h t t h a t we can
see how b r i l l i a n t l y Le C o r b u s i e r c o u l d f u n c t i o n under the simultaneous
c o n d i t i o n s of severe economic r e s t r i c t i o n s and a b s o l u t e p r o f e s s i o n a l freedom.
P r i o r t o Notre-Dame-du-Haut the s u b j e c t o f l i g h t
i n church a r c h i t e c -
t u r e , o r i n contemporary C a t h o l i c i s m - i n s p i r e d l i t e r a t u r e , i s o n l y i n -
2
f r e q u e n t l y commented upon, w i t h one r e l e v a n t e x c e p t i o n :
Paul Claudel.
In modern r e l i g i o u s thought l i g h t has n o t been g i v e n t h e m e t a p h o r i c a l
s i g n i f i c a n c e i t once had as e x e m p l i f i e d by Abbot Suger and D i o n y s i a n
metaphysics.
Nor i s i t e s p e c i a l l y emphasised i n avant-garde a r c h i t e c -
t u r a l thought or p r a c t i c e f o r other than p r a c t i c a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , a g a i n
save one e x c e p t i o n :
Sainte-Baume.
Church d e s i g n has tended t o c o n c e n t r a t e
3
upon s i m p l i f y i n g forms and r e a r r a n g i n g s p a t i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s ,
work o f Bohm, Schwartz, M e t s i n g e r ,
and P e r r e t .
as i n the
I n modern n o n - e c c l e s i a s -
t i c a l a r c h i t e c t u r e l i g h t has been a s s o c i a t e d w i t h moral i m p e r a t i v e s , and
a l i n e of thought i n t h i s r e s p e c t extends from M o r r i s and Ruskin
4
C o r b u s i e r and h i s
contemporaries.
t o Le
101
There had
of course been experiments i n modern church a r c h i t e c t u r e
b e f o r e N<§tre-Dame-du-Haut and
light.
In 1923,
filtered
some are q u i t e i n t e r e s t i n g w i t h r e s p e c t
at Notre-Dame-du-Raincy, P e r r e t had
through s t a i n e d g l a s s embedded i n p a t t e r n e d
the order of the spectrum. ~*
Dominicus Bohm had
introduced
light
claustras, simulating
introduced
a
lighting
scheme w i t h a s i n g l e l i g h t - i n t e n s i v e area over the a l t a r at St.
Cologne-Riel
i n 1930.
i n France by Dom
A s i m i l a r l i g h t i n g arrangement had
B e l l o t , a Dominican monk, at Audincourt
f a c t that the l i g h t i n g i n n o v a t i o n s
by Pere C o u t u r i e r i n p a r t i c u l a r
of Dom
and
not
i n 1930.^
B e l l o t were not
o f t e n repeated
emulated nor
Englebert,
been c r e a t e d
The
appreciated
by other
a r c h i t e c t s , p l u s the f a c t t h a t P e r r e t ' s p o e t i c statement w i t h
not
to
French
light
i t s p o s s i b i l i t i e s s e i z e d upon seems to p o i n t out
was
theo-
9
l o g i c a l disinterestedness i n this
There was
area.
a resurgence of i n t e r e s t i n s t a i n e d g l a s s i n e c c l e s i a s t i -
c a l a r c h i t e c t u r e p r i o r to Notre-Dame-du-Haut but
i t was
ated f o r f i g u r a t i v e d e t a i l r a t h e r than the m e t a p h o r i c a l
the ambiance of l i g h t
used and
appreci-
s i g n i f i c a n c e of
i t created.^
S u r p r i s i n g l y , and
i n g e n e r a l , a r c h i t e c t u r a l w r i t i n g and
1
critiques
of the p e r i o d r a r e l y i s o l a t e l i g h t as a t o p i c m e r i t i n g s p e c i a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , other
form, and
than p r a c t i c a l ones, whereas they r e g u l a r l y t r e a t s t r u c t u r e ,
even c o l o u r i n t h i s way.^
Pere C o u t u r i e r , the l e a d i n g French
exponent of avant-gardism, p r o v i d e s
a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e example i n h i s d i s -
c u s s i o n of the church at Assy, whose d e c o r a t i o n he
supervised.
Nowhere
12
does he use l i g h t as a metaphor f o r r e l i g i o u s e x p e r i e n c e .
A more contemporary and p r a c t i c a l problem occupied the c l e r g y and
13
Church at t h a t time - the problem of e l e c t r i c l i g h t i n g .
s t i c k s , v i s u a l l y prominent, and
distracting light
Imitation
fixtures,and
the
candle
102
p r o l i f e r a t i o n of l i g h t - a c c e s s o r i s e d d e v o t i o n a l
objects(such
as
Christ
14
figurines with illuminated hearts),
problems.
posed a e s t h e t i c
as w e l l / a s
functional
P a r t i c u l a r l y d i s t r e s s i n g to the Church at t h a t time were
indiscriminate
i n t r o d u c t i o n of e l e c t r i c l i g h t
and
the
the
theatrical effects
o f t e n s o u g h t . ^ As e a r l y as 1932 the i n t r o d u c t i o n of e l e c t r i c l i g h t had
been s u f f i c i e n t l y d i s r u p t i v e to m e r i t s p e c i a l comment by Rome. In France
1
the problem was
countered by Les
q u e s t i o n s l i t u r g i q u e s et
paroissales
16
i n the
same year.
Although the
l a t t e r does not
o f f i c i a l p r o c l a m a t i o n , i t does i n d i c a t e the way
have the power of
i n which l i g h t
an
was
approached i n o f f i c i a l French C a t h o l i c c i r c l e s as a q u e s t i o n of t r a d i t i o n
and
necessity. ^
1
The
decree s t a t e s t h a t
t o immediately s e r v e the c u l t " , but
of the O r d i n a r y " , and
minate the
that
one
i f i t was
c a r e f u l l y evade a l l t h e a t r i c a l e f f e c t and
minimal use
liturgy". ^
i s obvious t h a t
away from the o l d e r
nave and
c a t e d t h a t the
duction
shadows and
t h a t one
consent
to
illu-'
condition
respect
and
the
dignity
the
i n t r o d u c t i o n of e l e c t r i c l i g h t took i n t e r e s t
systems of i n t e r i o r i l l u m i n a t i o n , undermining i t s
s a n c t u a r y be
Natural
sanctuary.
l i g h t had
For
shrouded i n o b s c u r i t y
However t h e r e was
no
established
those who
and
l i g h t f i x t u r e s above or w i t h i n
19
as a d i s t u r b i n g element.
still
mystery, the
the
space
was
advointroviewed
consensus i n the l i t e r a t u r e
of the French e c c l e s i a s t i c a l avant-garde as to what l i g h t q u a l i t y
best.
able
light.
predominantly-lit
of e l a b o r a t e
w i t h the
s a n c t i t y of the p l a c e
r o l e i n determining s p a t i a l hierarchy.
the dim
never
At Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Le C o r b u s i e r made
1
of e l e c t r i c a l
(was)
p e r m i t t e d w i t h the
churches w i t h more s p l e n d o r than f o r m e r l y
sacred
It
" i t was
seen to " d i f f u s e the
always the g r a v i t y which s u i t s the
of the
that
"electric light
Furthermore, i n Mediator D e i of Pope P a u l XII of
1947
was
t h e r e i s no
103
s p e c i f i c mention made of l i g h t .
20
The o n l y r e f e r e n c e made t o a r c h i t e c -
t u r e i s a g e n e r a l e x h o r t a t i o n "to use modern m a t e r i a l s , but t o do
p r u d e n t l y and
to p r e s e r v e the c o r r e c t b a l a n c e among s t y l e s , t e n d i n g n e i t h e r
to extreme r e a l i s m , e x c e s s i v e symbolism, nor t h a t which w i l l
shock".
so
openly
2 1
To summarize, j u s t p r i o r to the Ronchamp p r o j e c t ,
criticism
o v e r l o o k e d the p o e t i c a l p o t e n t i a l s of l i g h t
ecclesiastical
i n i t s concern
22
w i t h the abuse of e l e c t r i c l i g h t .
Where l i g h t does f i g u r e
as an o r g a n i z i n g element, i t tends to take one of two
light
i s e i t h e r f o c u s s e d on the a l t a r , as w i t h Dom
predominently
standard
forms:
B e l l o t , or the nave i s
f l o o d e d w i t h l i g h t , as w i t h P e r r e t .
I t i s important
t o note, however, t h a t w h i l e l i g h t as a r e l i g i o u s l y
s i g n i f i c a n t metaphor does not occur i n o f f i c i a l Church decrees p r i o r
to
the completion of Notre-Dame-du-Haut, and w h i l e i t i s not emphasised i n the
w r i t i n g s of Pere C o u t u r i e r or Pere Regamey, l i g h t does occur as a theme i n
l e s s s p e c i a l i z e d and more w i d e l y read l i t e r a t u r e .
drama, L'Annonce F a i t e a M a r i e , l i g h t
In P a u l C l a u d e l ' s
i n d i c a t e s the r e l i g i o u s l y
cant times of the day, which a r e g i v e n t h e i r t r a d i t i o n a l
E a r l y dawn or the s t i l l
signifi23
association.
evening of the Angelus s i g n i f y the presence
of the
24
Virgin.
Furthermore,
c y c l e of d a i l y and
i n t h i s p l a y the c o n n e c t i o n s between the
s e a s o n a l time t o t h a t of the n a t u r a l world
s i m i l a r t o the c o n n e c t i o n between l i g h t and
the ornamentation
a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
Catholic
is strikingly
the day t o be d i s c o v e r e d i n
Significantly,
t h i s very play
by P a u l C l a u d e l i s c i t e d a t some l e n g t h i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s Modulor of
25
1949.
A l s o , Le C o r b u s i e r requested the quote from P a u l C l a u d e l t h a t
Archbishop
Dubois had used a t the c o n s e c r a t i o n ceremony a t Notre-Dame-du-
26
Haut;
and a l i n e from P a u l C l a u d e l appears
i n Le L i v r e du Ronchamp:
"comprends c e t t e
p a r o l e a l ' o r l e l l e de ton ame". ^
2
Given the extent of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s r e f e r e n c e s to P a u l C l a u d e l
through
him,
the extent of h i s response
between l i g h t and
to the t r a d i t i o n a l
the s a c r e d e x p e r i e n c e ,
A
e a r n e s t l y sought the i n c o r p o r a t i o n
correspondence
i t seems t h a t C h a r l e s
c r i t i c i s m of Notre-Dame-du-Haut as " i r o n i c " i s unfounded.
and,
28
Jenck's
Le
Corbusier
of modern p o e t i c s e n s i b i l i t y i n t o h i s
edifice.
Perhaps more i n d i c a t i v e of the a r c h i t e c t ' s a t t i t u d e s than
l i t e r a r y p a r a l l e l s of thought
c e s s o r where l i g h t
i s the s i n g l e modern a r c h i t e c t u r a l
does f i g u r e as an important
these
prede-
s p a t i a l element, h i s
own
29
Sainte-Baume p r o j e c t of 1948.
and
" r e a l i t y - i n f u s e d " , as was
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s d e s i g n was
as "of i t s day"
C l a u d e l ' s v i s i o n a r y church f o r Chicago
of
the 1930s where ' f u t u r i s t ' images and
' r e a l i s t ' acceptance of modern t e c h 30
nology and m a t e r i a l s were to be expressed.
I t was a l s o an o p p o r t u n i t y
f o r Le C o r b u s i e r to p r a c t i c e h i s luminary v i s i o n s i n c e the l i g h t i n g
31
scheme was
One
left
e a r l i e r p r o j e c t should perhaps be mentioned.
Sainte-Baume was
of the 1907
which was
e n t i r e l y to h i s d i r e c t i o n .
Much e a r l i e r
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the i n t e r i o r
chapel at Cernier-Fountainemelon,
r e p l e t e w i t h c o s m o l o g i c a l m o t i f s and
of the n a t u r a l o r d e r i n which the sun and
than
decoration
near La Chaux-de-Fonds,
e x p r e s s i v e of an awareness
32
life-forms figure
prominently.
At Notre-Dame-du-Haut, the importance Le C o r b u s i e r gave the problem
of l i g h t
tially
i s demonstrated by i t s h i g h p r i o r i t y i n d e s i g n d e c i s i o n s .
the c h a p e l was
designed
to be composed of simple shapes u n i t e d i n t o
a s i n g l e mass t h a t would stand out e f f e c t i v e l y upon the summit.
the l a t e r p l a n s marked
Ini-
eclairage
t h a t the most s i g n i f i c a n t
It i s i n
changes a r e
33
noted
(Figs.
40,
41).
For i n s t a n c e , an i n t e r i o r v e s t i b u l e at the
south
door was
space.
e l i m i n a t e d , thereby
The
removing an i n t r u s i v e element i n t o the nave
door became a s i n g l e l a r g e expanse hung on a c e n t r a l p i v o t .
In
t h i s form the south door p l a y s a g r e a t e r r o l e i n the l i g h t i n g scheme; w i t h
the opening of the c e r e m o n i a l
door one
g r e a t s h a f t of l i g h t
i s introduced,
s u b s t a n t i a l l y adding to the i l l u m i n a t i o n o f f e r e d by the s i d e l i g h t s which
i n the r e v i s e d scheme now
this light
scheme no
adds dramatic
light
directly
i l l u m i n a t e the nave.
In a d d i t i o n ,
emphasis to the a c t of e n t e r i n g .
In the
earlier
from the door would have been v i s i b l e i n the nave, due
to
i t s s c r e e n i n g by p a r t i t i o n w a l l s .
Other changes i n d i c a t e the d e v e l o p i n g
chapel.
The
concern f o r the l i g h t of
e l i m i n a t i o n of the window of the northwest c h a p e l and
consequent r e l i a n c e on the l i g h t
towers, and
are now
lit
d i r e c t l y o n l y by t h e i r own
i n t e r i o r but a l s o on the e x t e r i o r .
forms of the f o u r facades
lantern
an e f f e c t not o n l y on
i n the d e s i g n .
l i n e of the w a l l s , which i s most r e s p o n s i v e
In the l a t e r
and
and
meeting p o i n t of the n o r t h and
concave
to the h o r i z o n t a l movement of
are accen-
a l t e r e d to i n c r e a s e the eave overhang
east w h i l e r e i n f o r c i n g the abrupt
t a n t e f f e c t on the south and
interest
the convex and
(1951) ' e c l a i r a g e ' p l a n s , these curves
In a d d i t i o n , the r o o f was
on the south
This
inward cant of the south w a l l , which i s
to the v e r t i c a l p o s i t i o n of the sun,
the sun.
the
L i g h t c o n s i d e r a t i o n s a f f e c t e d the
a t an e a r l y stage
accounts f o r the v e r t i c a l and
tuated.
the
day.
changes i n i t i a t e d at t h i s time had
responsive
As a r e s u l t of
s i n c e each i s o r i e n t e d i n a d i f f e r e n t d i r e c t i o n , the l i g h t i s
caught a t d i f f e r e n t times of
The
the
from the l a n t e r n demonstrates the d e s i r e
to c r e a t e a u n i f i e d method i n the l i g h t i n g scheme.
change, a l l the chapels
the
east w a l l s .
east f a c a d e s ,
end
of the r o o f at
T h i s a l t e r a t i o n had
an
the
impor-
g r e a t l y i n c r e a s i n g the range
106
of l i g h t
found
to shade and
shade
to
light.
The v a r i a t i o n i n window types
i n the n o r t h w a l l , d e s p i t e i t s c o n s i s t e n t s t r u c t u r a l system, and
unnecessary,
a l t h o u g h p o e t i c , b a t t e r i n g of the south w a l l
because r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e ^ n o t
(unnecessary
g r a v i t y and masonry account
t y ) emphasise the p r i o r i t y g i v e n t o l i g h t over s t r u c t u r a l
The
changes made to the p l a n i n 1951
for i t s s t a b i l i -
expression.
f o l l o w the acceptance
d e s i g n by the Commission f o r Sacred A r t f o r Besancon i n January
year."^
The patrons asked
o n l y t h a t the d e s i g n be reduced
The r e d u c t i o n i n s i z e , however, does not account
the
of the
of t h a t
in size.^^
f o r the other m o d i f i c a -
37
tions,
whose g r e a t e s t e f f e c t was
on the l i g h t
q u a l i t i e s of the c h a p e l .
The w r i t i n g s of Le C o r b u s i e r abound w i t h d i s c u s s i o n s of the
f i c a n c e of l i g h t ;
i t i s found
signi-
i n h i s e x p o s i t i o n of a r c h i t e c t u r a l t h e o r y , i n
urban p l a n n i n g , h i s p o e t r y , and
i n h i s emotional
responses
38
more s p e c i f i c a l l y h i s t o r i c , r e l i g i o u s a r c h i t e c t u r e .
to a r c h i t e c t u r e ,
In h i s own
t e c t u r e t h i s s e n s i t i v i t y can be seen i n the l i g h t w e l l s of the
Savoie, the l i g h t e d s t a i r w e l l s of h i s own
Villa
apartment, the l i g h t e d
t u r a l promenade' of the A u t e u i l houses, and
archi-
'architec-
the d e s i g n i n g of facade
forms
to b e s t r e l a t e to the d i r e c t i o n and h e i g h t of the sun's r a y s , as f o r example
as A l g i e r s .
He had
de J a n e i r o i n 1939,
The
treatment
a l s o i n v e n t e d the b r i s e - s o l e i l ,
to c o n t r o l the f l o w of l i g h t
first
a p p l i e d a t Rio
i n t o the b u i l d i n g .
of the facade a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s c o n s i s t e n t w i t h
e a r l i e r d e f i n i t i o n g i v e n the facade by Le
an
Corbusier:
The facades are c o n s i d e r e d as the c a r r i e r s of l i g h t . . . t h e
facade no l o n g e r c a r r i e s the f l o o r nor the r o o f ; i t i s no l o n g e r
but a v e i l of g l a s s or of masonry, e n c l o s i n g the house.39
The importance which l i g h t assumes a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut i s a l s o
p e r f e c t l y i n keeping w i t h one
"the e s s e n t i a l j o y s :
of h i s most important
sky, t r e e s , view and
sun".
40
t e n e t s of urban t h e o r y ,
The
early
priority
107
g i v e n the sun i n d e s i g n d e c i s i o n s was
not r o o t e d s o l e l y i n a e s t h e t i c con-
c e r n s , but a l s o i n v o l v e d a p h i l o s o p h i c a l and moral i n t e r e s t .
b e l i e v e d t h a t the s o l a r day
Le
Corbusier
i s the c o n t r o l l i n g f a c t o r i n a l l our
activi-
41
ties,
and
t h a t s i n c e l i g h t was
thought l i n k e d to good h e a l t h , i t s p r o -
42
v i s i o n was
a moral r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the a r c h i t e c t .
Thus even the
nounced a e s t h e t i c r o l e g i v e n to l i g h t at Notre-Dame-du-Haut has
impetus i n s o c i a l , moral, and
s t r u c t u r a l imperatives.
" a e s t h e t i c s d i r e c t l y connected to u t i l i t y " ,
f a c t t h a t the Church and
its initial
L i g h t remains
the i m p l i e d meaning of
t i o n a l i s m g i v e n by most adherents of the Modern Movement and Le
The
the c o n g r e g a t i o n
pro-
func-
Corbusier.
f i n d t h a t the c h a p e l f u n c t i o n s
44
"perfectly"
confirms
l i g h t have been met.
t h a t the s o c i a l and
f u n c t i o n a l requirements
of
However, the " p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l " e f f e c t s of
A
l i g h t were Le C o r b u s i e r s major concern
c a l l y r e s t a t e , and
developed
a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut and
poeti-
almost cause the viewer to f o r g e t , h i s o r i g i n a l moral
r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n of h i s i n t e r e s t
1932
i n t h i s element.
e p i g r a p h i c statement about the 24-hour
day
i n t o a u b i q u i t o u s diagram of the sun wave t r a c e d by the sun i n
45
r e l a t i o n to the h o r i z o n .
to
I t was
t h i s diagram which Le C o r b u s i e r used
i n d i c a t e what he b e l i e v e d to be the s t a r t i n g p o i n t of a r c h i t e c t u r e ,
namely, a consciousness
of the c y c l e of the day and
t h e r e f o r e the
daily
46
c y c l e of man's l i f e .
" T h i s statement i s most e m p h a t i c a l l y and
repeatedly
made throughout h i s w r i t i n g s , more so and more c o n s i s t e n t l y than
c l a i m s of the same magnitude about technology,
mechanization,
any
or m a t e r i -
als . ^
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s major i n t e r e s t i n l i g h t
t i o n of the l i g h t e f f e c t s at A u t e u i l .
43
i s shown i n h i s 1927
Even at t h i s date,
i s g i v e n equal importance w i t h the t e c h n i c a l and
descrip-
the a e s t h e t i c
utilitarian:
One f o l l o w s an i t i n e r a r y and the p e r s p e c t i v e s develop thems e l v e s w i t h g r e a t v a r i e t y , one p l a y s w i t h f l u c t u a t i o n s of
l i g h t i l l u m i n a t i n g the w a l l s and c r e a t i n g shadows. &
4
In 1923
a t the Maison l a Roche, Le C o r b u s i e r had manipulated
i n t o the v e r y c e n t e r of the house.
He
light
speaks about g i v i n g l i g h t a p r i o r i t y
i n the f o l l o w i n g way:
...tormenting the p l a n because of the s i t e . . . t h e need f o r the
sun from the south and c h a n n e l i n g i t i n t o the h o u s e . ^
The
l i g h t d e s i g n a t No*tre-Dame-du-Haut can be e x p l a i n e d i n terms of
economy and
efficiency.
e l e c t r i c l i g h t was
I t i s apparent
t h a t the i n c o r p o r a t i o n of adequate
not f o r e s e e n f o r the immediate f u t u r e and
of the c h a p e l would have had
the d e s i g n
t o accommodate the r e s t r i c t i o n s i n h e r e n t i n
r e l y i n g h e a v i l y on n a t u r a l l i g h t . T h e l i g h t
s h a f t s of the s i d e c h a p e l s
can be seen as an i n g e n i o u s s o l u t i o n to the problem of i l l u m i n a t i n g
interior
space r e q u i r i n g both p r i v a c y and d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n from the main
p a r t of the i n t e r i o r without
separate l i g h t
the i n t r o d u c t i o n of p a r t i t i o n w a l l s or numerous
fixtures.
L i g h t p l a y s an important
spaces.
an
r o l e i n the modulation
of the
interior
I t not o n l y d e f i n e s d i f f e r e n t areas i n terms of l i t u r g i c a l
t i o n s , but i t s q u a l i t y a l s o corresponds
experience.
The
func-
t o the a p p r o p r i a t e r e l i g i o u s
l i g h t i n g of the i n t e r i o r - dimmer i n r e l a t i o n t o the
e x t e r i o r - c o n t r i b u t e s to the sense of q u i e t and peace e x p e r i e n c e d w i t h i n .
The dimness i s e s s e n t i a l i n c r e a t i n g the calm and m e d i t a t i v e atmosphere
so f r e q u e n t l y mentioned i n v i s i t o r s ' r e f e r e n c e s t o the i n t e r i o r
i s the most important
q u a l i t y of s a c r e d space to Le C o r b u s i e r .
w i t h i t s s p e c i f i c l i t u r g i c a l f u n c t i o n has been g i v e n i t s own
characteristic:
and
Each a r e a
lighting
each i s rendered d i s t i n c t y e t not d i v o r c e d from the
space of the i n t e r i o r .
53
total
Nor a r e the d i s t i n c t i o n s ^ s t a t i c . The nave and
109
s u b s i d i a r y c h a p e l s a l l have t h e i r own
p a r t i c u l a r time of prominence as
marked by a g r e a t e r degree of i l l u m i n a t i o n which each r e c e i v e s i n r e l a t i o n
to
the o t h e r s a t d i f f e r e n t
times of the day.
announces when each area may
Thus i n t e n s i t y of
be o p t i m a l l y used.
The
light
sanctuary with i t s
b r i g h t p i n p r i c k s of l i g h t - t h e i r b r i l l i a n c e i n c r e a s e d by t h e i r
smallness
i n r e l a t i o n to the w a l l - p r o v i d e s a f o c u s i n the e a r l y morning.
The
i n t e n s i t y of the s a n c t u a r y l i g h t c o n t r a s t s the c o l o u r e d , d i f f u s e d ,
t h e r e f o r e l e s s i n t e n s e l i g h t of the n o r t h e a s t c h a p e l .
direct
i l l u m i n a t i o n i s g r e a t e s t i n the nave due
windows a l o n g the south w a l l and
w a l l embrasures.
The
d u r a t i o n of
to i t s l o n g s t r e t c h of
t h e i r v a r i e d d i s p o s i t i o n s w i t h i n the
southwest c h a p e l , which i s the l a r g e s t and most used,
has a l s o been g i v e n the most steady l i g h t ,
The
The
'the dependable n o r t h
shape of the l i g h t t u r r e t s p r o c l a i m s t h e i r f u n c t i o n of
l i g h t downward i n t o the s i d e c h a p e l s .
Candles
I t was
Unobtrusive
e l e c t r i c l i g h t was
light'.
channeling
l i t on the a l t a r and
P a s c h a l c a n d l e to i t s l e f t a i d i n the i l l u m i n a t i o n and demarcation
s p e c i a l area.
and
added and
later
the
of
this
supplemented.
p l a c e d at f l o o r l e v e l to complement the o r c h e s t r a t i o n of n a t u r a l
light.
In a d d i t i o n t o the areas w i t h i n the c h a p e l , l i g h t
a space of a more dynamic n a t u r e .
Flowing
through
s e r v e s to c r e a t e
the t e n
centimeter
c r a c k between the w a l l and r o o f , and between the j u n c t u r e s and
of
the c u r v i n g w a l l p l a n e s , through
east doors,
and
through
the b r i s e - s o l e i l s over the n o r t h
and
the s i d e l i g h t s b e s i d e the south door, i t u n i t e s the
o u t e r spaces w i t h the i n t e r i o r and
unbounded
infoldings
imparts to the i n n e r space a sense of
expansiveness.
V i s i b i l i t y of the o u t s i d e world,
e s p e c i a l l y as glimpsed
through
the
s m a l l windows of the south w a l l , a l s o serves to expand the space outward.
110
Thus t h e l i g h t not o n l y d e f i n e s an i n t e r i o r space, but s i m u l t a n e o u s l y
i n i t i a t e s an e x p e r i e n c e
walls".
o f dynamic space beyond and around the "bounding
The t e n s i o n o f i n t e r i o r and e x t e r i o r space b e i n g viewed
t a n e o u s l y r e s u l t s i n a dynamic e q u i l i b r i u m , , e x p r e s s i n g another
a r c h i t e c t u r a l t e n e t o f Le C o r b u s i e r ' s and p r o v i d i n g another
metaphor f o r the Church as a modern dynamic i n s t i t u t i o n .
simullong-held
appropriate
The t e n s i o n
between i n t e r i o r and e x t e r i o r i s a l s o a p p r o p r i a t e t o a Church which
often defined i t s e l f
i n terms o f d u a l i t i e s .
On t h e e x t e r i o r , l i g h t
i s a g a i n used t o shape and h e i g h t e n t h e ex-
p e r i e n c e o f both l o c a l i z e d and expansive
rounding
s u r f a c e s , the l i g h t
w i t h the environment.
space.
C o n t r o l l e d by t h e s u r -
c r e a t e s nuanced pockets
of space i n t e r r e l a t e d
Shadows c r e a t e a c o n s t a n t l y changing p a t t e r n which
p r o v i d e s a s e n s a t i o n o f movement both h o r i z o n t a l l y i n response t o the
sun's movement, and i n depth.
The use o f l i g h t
to u n i f y the e d i f i c e with i t s surrounding
environ-
ment a e s t h e t i c a l l y r e l a t e s i t t o a pronounced f e a t u r e o f the Modern Movement.
I t i s a r e f l e c t i o n o f such i d e a s i n p a i n t i n g and s c u l p t u r e as a r e
expressed
i n t h e p a i n t i n g and s c u l p t u r e o f B o c c i o n i , P i c a s s o , and t h e
p a i n t i n g and s c u l p t u r e of Le C o r b u s i e r . ^
i s c l o s e l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h those a d v o c a t i n g
In a r c h i t e c t u r a l p a r l a n c e , i t
an i n t e g r a t i o n o f a r c h i t e c t u r e
with the s i t e - p h y s i c a l l y or metaphysically.
Not o n l y i s t h i s an aim
of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s which f i n d s r e a l i z a t i o n i n h i s work a t A u t e u i l , Pessac,
Poissy,and
of church
the more contemporary Rob e t Roq,
o f f i c i a l s attempting
58
i t i s a l s o a major
concern
to provide s i t i n g g u i d e l i n e s f o r p a r i s h
59
churches w i t h i n t h e newly d e v e l o p i n g
The
suburbs.
space c r e a t e d and evoked by t h e l i g h t has an e c c l e s i a s t i c a l
s i g n i f i c a n c e as w e l l .
The r o l e i n g i v i n g meaning t o l i t u r g i c a l
spaces
in
has a l r e a d y been mentioned.
an a e s t h e t i c and
I t should a l s o be noted
s p i r i t u a l e x p e r i e n c e of expansive
that the d e s i r e f o r
space i s p a r t i c u l a r l y
a p p r o p r i a t e to the Church a t t h i s time, e s p e c i a l l y to the avant-garde
patrons f o r whom Le C o r b u s i e r was
working.
Expansiveness
i s a f i t meta-
phor f o r the i d e a l s ' of those c l e r i c s d u r i n g the span of freedom they
en-
60
j o y e d between 1935
and
1955.
The
interior-exterior
t e n s i o n s which con-
t r i b u t e to the c r e a t i o n of " l ' e s p a c e i n d i c i b l e " i s a l s o an a s t u t e metaphor
f o r an e d i f i c e whose purpose i s a s p i r i t u a l u n i o n which i n the
analysis i s l e f t
final
inexplicable.
But the c o n t r o l of l i g h t and
d i d P a u l C l a u d e l , Le C o r b u s i e r has
light
symbolism goes even f u r t h e r .
synchronized
w i t h i n the c h a p e l to the times of day.
the a p p e r c e p t i o n of
As
light
At NoVre-Dame-du-Haut the sun
has
been g i v e n c o n t r o l l i n g power by the arrangement of the a p e r t u r e s t r a n s - ' •
mitting i t s light
to the i n t e r i o r .
The
shape and cant of the south w a l l
windows, the o r i e n t a t i o n of c h a p e l domes to t h r e e c a r d i n a l p o i n t s , and
v a r i a t i o n s i n the r a t i o s of l i g h t
bute to t h i s .
to dark and
L i g h t has been c o n t r o l l e d and
as to i l l u m i n a t e the
s o l i d to v o i d a l l c o n t r i d i s t r i b u t e d to animate as w e l l
edifice.
L i g h t flows from p i n p o i n t h o l e s i n the east w a l l .
huge f i l e s of space above the n o r t h and
f l a n k i n g the c e r e m o n i a l
entrance.
f a b r i c and p o i n t s out passageways.
east doors and
I t flows from
from the
a l t e r n a t e l y from dim to l i g h t .
it
sidelights
I t appears at j u n c t u r e s i n the b u i l d i n g
I t d i s t i n g u i s h e s nave from
and s i d e c h a p e l from nave i n an o r d e r l y p r o g r e s s i o n from l i g h t
c r e a t e crescendos
the
sanctuary
to dim,
and
In a d d i t i o n , the sun has been used to
of l i g h t w i t h i n the e d i f i c e .
As the sun r i s e s i n the e a s t ,
e n t e r s the c h a p e l from the t i n y h o l e s i n the east w a l l .
h i g h e r i n the sky, the l i g h t admitted
As i t r i s e s
from the east tower becomes s t r o n g e r ,
as does the l i g h t from the east w a l l , u n t i l ,
of
file
l i g h t b u r s t s f o r t h from the t a l l b r i s e - s o l e i l i n the s o u t h e a s t c o r n e r .
The sun then c o n t i n u e s towards
wall.
dom
towards noon, a b l a z i n g
the west, i t s path monitored by the south
Although the a n g l e of the embrasure of these windows appears r a n -
and does d i f f u s e an even l i g h t , t h e r e i s a g r e a t e r number of them
angled towards
the c e n t e r of the nave and d i r e c t e d so as to f o c u s the
61
rays of the m i d - a f t e r n o o n sun.
nor d i s t r a c t i n g .
T h i s c r e s t of l i g h t
I t has been c o n t r o l l e d .
i s not o b t r u s i v e
The shape and r e c e s s i o n of the
south b r i s e - s o l e i l and the l a r g e overhanging eave i n b o t h east and
moderate the extreme p o i n t s of the l i g h t passage.
emphatically
south
However, the two most
' i l l u m i n a t e d ' p o i n t s i n t h i s crescendo of l i g h t ,
late
morning
and m i d - a f t e r n o o n , are the times of the Masses h e l d f o r the V i r g i n ,
62
a.m.
and 2:30
p.m.
While the a c t u a l l i g h t
p e r i o d s , one i s reminded
11:00
of the sun d i c t a t e s t h e s e
of the r e f e r e n c e t o the " e t o i l e du m a t i n " i n the
n o r t h e a s t c h a p e l and the ready a s s o c i a t i o n t o the V i r g i n .
Light
i s asked t o p l a y no f u n c t i o n a l r o l e on the e x t e r i o r of the
b u i l d i n g save p r o v i d i n g v i s i b i l i t y
i n the e x t e r i o r s a n c t u a r y , and
purpose i s served by the l a r g e l i g h t - r e f l e c t i n g , open curve w i t h i n
the
exterior altar i s set.
B r i g h t n e s s i s emphasised
c o n t r a s t to the dimness i n the i n t e r i o r .
this
which
on the e x t e r i o r , i n
But here too the p a t h of the sun
i s monitored, i t s p a s s i n g r e c o r d e d i n the changing forms of the shadows.
What i s marked on the i n s i d e by the movement and i n t e n s i t y changes of
light
i s marked on the o u t s i d e by the nuance of shade and shadow.
The
m a n i p u l a t i o n o f l i g h t over the s u r f a c e s and w i t h i n spaces f o r o t h e r than
p r a c t i c a l purposes, as was
ornamental.
done a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut, can o n l y be
called
In r e c a l l i n g Le C o r b u s i e r ' s h i g h e x p e c t a t i o n s of ornament
t h i s becomes s i g n i f i c a n t .
At Notre-Dame-du-Haut he
emphasised:
113
The key i s l i g h t
and l i g h t i l l u m i n a t e s shapes
^
and shapes have an emotional power.
Although
Notre-Dame-du-Haut has been termed
'lyrical'
and
personal
64
i n i t s imagery,
i t s s i g n i f i c a n c e to the a r c h i t e c t and
to
traditional
church a r c h i t e c t u r e have not been e x p l o r e d i n the depth m e r i t e d .
C o r b u s i e r had
Le
o f t e n a s s e r t e d t h a t a r c h i t e c t u r e p l a y e d a major, perhaps
major, r o l e i n d e t e r m i n i n g
the happiness of man.
He was
t h a t a r c h i t e c t u r e meant something beyond i t s engineered
equally
convinced
parts.^
One
the m a t e r i a l s t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r used to c r e a t e h i s a r c h i t e c t u r e was
In t h i s he was
preceded by P h i d i a s , C a l l i c r a t e s ,
all
c r e a t o r s of s a c r e d space.
for
the l i n k i n g of l i g h t and
and
a r c h i t e c t u r e a t t e s t e d to by Abbot Suger.
i s the n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y
w i t h l i g h t and
I c t i n u s , and
There i s a g r e a t t r a d i t i o n and
the
of
light.
Michelangelo,
precedent
t h a t "something more" w i t h i n r e l i g i o u s
thought
In the more r e c e n t p a s t ,
h e r i t a g e of the I m p r e s s i o n i s t s '
there
preoccupation
t h a t of the a r c h i t e c t s ' , f i r s t h e r a l d e d w i t h the
Crystal
66
Palace.
There i s a l s o the emphasis g i v e n to the c r e a t i o n of
sacred
space i n terms of l i g h t at the Sainte-Baume p r o j e c t and Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s
tangential interest
i n s t a i n e d g l a s s which would have impressed
C o r b u s i e r the s t i l l
s i g n i f i c a n t power of t h i s e x p r e s s i v e
component.
upon Le
architectural
L i g h t a l s o f i g u r e s g r e a t l y i n other r e l i g i o u s c u l t s ;
C o r b u s i e r noted
t h i s s i m i l a r i t y i n the E g y p t i a n and
Le
the Greek as w e l l as
67
the I s l a m i c .
may
There i s a l a r g e c u l t u r a l context
be r e f e r r i n g w i t h h i s emphatic and
to which Le
Corbusier
s u g g e s t i v e use of l i g h t , and
t r a n s l a t e d t h a t t r a d i t i o n i n t o modern terms, i n c l u d i n g r e f e r e n c e s
modern thought such as t h a t of P a u l C l a u d e l .
sincerely f e l t
to
By i n f u s i n g l i g h t
i d e a s he sought to i n f u s e h i s whole c h a p e l w i t h
i t s contemporary
context.
he
to
with
relevance
114
CHAPTER V I I I
SUMMARY AND
The
initial
i n s p i r a t i o n f o r t h i s study of Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
Ronchamp, o r i g i n a t e d w i t h two
s h i p of the
major i s s u e s .
c h a p e l to Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
concerned the r e l a t i o n s h i p and
t u r a l t h e o r y and
The
c h a p e l was
t e c t u r a l manifestation
a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s of Le
The
use
of sacred
of pure forms and
The
The
Corbusier's
and
established
a continuation
i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
of the
a r c h i t e c t u r e of the
confirmed Le
f o r m u l a t e d i n Vers une
s e l e c t i o n of forms which had
and
statement i n 1923
era.
The
synthesis
included
and
to u t i l i t y .
s t r u c t u r e was
and
The
current
its first
The
aesthetic
theoretical
b u i l d i n g s of
that
established p r a c t i c e that
of d i s c o v e r i e s made i n one
formal explorations.
functional
skewed geometric forms were a
of p r e - e x i s t i n g a e s t h e t i c aims and
transposing
Corbusier's
b a s i c a t t i t u d e to form,
i t s a p p l i c a t i o n i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s
and
1920s.
architecture
some semblance of
shown to have had
curves, i n c l i n e d surfaces,
the
the
interest in
a p p l i c a t i o n b e t r a y e d a t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y i n t e r e s t t h a t sought
materials,
architec-
Catholicism.
t h e i r massing i n l i g h t
j u s t i f i c a t i o n by r e f e r e n c e
second
b u i l d i n g evidenced, I b e l i e v e , an a r c h i -
d e f i n i t i o n of a r c h i t e c t u r e t h a t was
1923.
the r e l a t i o n -
of memory through the c u l l i n g of
of Purism and
symbolic form d i s c o v e r a b l e
in
f i r s t was
shown to possess many r e c o g n i z a b l e
most prominent f e a t u r e s
use
The
established aesthetic.
forms to t h a t of French
Corbusian c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
The
CONCLUSION
a r t form i n t o another
study suggested t h a t the p a r t i c u l a r
forms found a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut were i n s p i r e d by t h e i r independent
and
simultaneous d i s c o v e r y
i n nature
(the s h e l l ) , mathematics '(the Modulor),
UShuman shapes (the ear, the hand), and Le C o r b u s i e r ' s contemporary s c u l p ture.
The
e x p r e s s i v e aims which appear to have d i r e c t e d the c r e a t i o n of
form at Notre-Dame-du-Haut were demonstrably c o n s i s t e n t w i t h Le
1923
d e f i n i t i o n of A r c h i t e c t u r e t h a t d i s t i n g u i s h e d the l a t t e r from b u i l d i n g
by i t s i n c l u s i o n of e x p r e s s i v e concerns.
impair the f u n c t i o n s of the c h a p e l .
church
Moreover, these aims d i d not
As a comparison w i t h the former
i l l u s t r a t e s , Le C o r b u s i e r g r e a t l y improved t h e i r accommodation.
The use of ornament was
shown to have had
Corbusian t h e o r i e s of a e s t h e t i c s and
a l s o proved
was
Corbusier's
society.
t o be more than a restatement
an e v o l u t i o n a r y step p r o c e e d i n g
<
i t s basis i n early
However, Notre-Dame-du-Haut
of e a r l i e r d e s i g n s o l u t i o n s ; i t
from them.
1
The
ornament a t
Notre-
Dame-du-Haut r e a f f i r m e d the uses i t served i n h i s c h a p e l of 1907, which were
to e s t a b l i s h the human c o n t a c t Le C o r b u s i e r a t t r i b u t e d to the
p a r t i c i p a t o r y realm of c o n v e n t i o n a l decoration''' and
collective,
to a c t as a " c l u e "
to those u n i n i t i a t e d to the h i g h e r realms of pure o b j e c t i v e form.
t i o n a l l y , i t p a r t i c i p a t e s f o r m a l l y and
t r i b u t i n g c o l o u r , form, and
rhythm.
o b j e c t i v e l y i n the d e s i g n ,
Addicon-
The m o t i f s at Notr e-Dame-du-Haut
c l a r i f y the r e a l i s t i c a s p e c t s of Le C o r b u s i e r ' s t h e o r y w h i l e they
simul-
t a n e o u s l y c o n t i n u e and
e n r i c h the p o e t i c and v i s u a l t r a d i t i o n s of
French
C a t h o l i c i s m . ( F i g s . 42,
43).
The r e l i g i o u s context of the commission was
p l o r e d i n t h i s study.
The
the second i s s u e ex-
importance g i v e n to s t y l e , the a c t of c r e a t i o n ,
and human i n i t i a t i v e by the focus p l a c e d on the a r t s and
c o n t r o v e r s i e s by Pere C o u t u r i e r , Pere Regamey, and
their
attendant
Canon Ledeur were
shown to have had much s i g n i f i c a n c e to Notre-Dame-du-Haut and t o Le
Corbusier.
These e c c l e s i a s t i c s and
others possessing s i m i l a r a e s t h e t i c
aims c r e a t e d the context i n which the c u l t u r a l and
s o c i a l importance which
116
Le C o r b u s i e r a t t a c h e d
t o h i s a r c h i t e c t u r e c o u l d be r e c o g n i z e d .
the contemporary c a t h o l i c l i t e r a t u r e t h e e x p e r i e n c e
s o c i a l and economic change were i n t e r r e l a t e d .
For i n
o f a r t , r e l i g i o n , and
They were thus
prepared
to b e l i e v e t h a t a s i n c e r e and i n d i v i d u a l i s t i c statement such as Pere
C o u t u r i e r had a l r e a d y applauded i n t h e work of L i g e r expressed
contemporary
a positive
spirit.
Indeed, the study r e v e a l e d t h a t i n t e r e s t i n g p a r a l l e l s o f a e s t h e t i c
theory and s p i r i t u a l i t y
Catholic patrons.
e x i s t e d between Le C o r b u s i e r and h i s French
These p a r a l l e l s g i v e substance
t o the many metaphors
and v i s u a l a n a l o g i e s t h a t were d i s c o v e r e d i n t h e c h a p e l .
d e f i n e d the c r e a t i o n and e x p e r i e n c e
o f a r c h i t e c t u r e as "a d i r e c t c a l l
into
2
the a b s o l u t e . . . a
sermon on t h e mount".
the essence and m a i n s p r i n g
The Church too was concerned w i t h
o f c r e a t i v i t y and i t s r e l a t i o n s h i p t o f a i t h ,
genius, and the i n e x p l i c a b l e m a n i f e s t a t i o n s o f i n s p i r a t i o n o r d i v i n i t y .
J u s t as Le C o r b u s i e r had r e l a t e d t h e e x p e r i e n c e
of the i n e f f a b l e with that
of f a i t h and s p i r i t u a l i t y , so too d i d Pere C o u t u r i e r equate the a r t i s t
3
and the r e l i g i o u s man.
F o r these reasons t h e Church, and e s p e c i a l l y t h e
s m a l l group o f e c c l e s i a s t i c s then e x p e r i e n c i n g e x c e p t i o n a l freedom, were
w i l l i n g t o r e c o g n i z e Le C o r b u s i e r as "an a r t i s t w i t h t h e g r e a t e s t sense o f
4
the
sacred".
Le C o r b u s i e r e n r i c h e d the popular
image o f a r e l i g i o u s e d i f i c e by
the i n c l u s i o n o f h i s many s e c u l a r and a e s t h e t i c aims.
w h i m s i c a l l y , but s e n s i t i v e l y , i n c l u d e d .
They were mot
Thus t h e e x p l o r a t i o n o f a c o u s t i c s
and v i s u a l a c o u s t i c s , c o l o u r , l i g h t , space, and d e c o r a t i o n a p t l y r e p r e sented a contemporary c a t h o l i c concept;
meditation p a r a l l e d s p i r i t u a l
communion, the i n d i v i d u a l ' s v o i c e demonstrated t h e i n t e g r a l importance o f
p r i v a t e d e v o t i o n , expansive
space suggested
freedom i n f a i t h ,
decoration
r e c a l l e d human and e a r t h l y r e s p o n s i v e n e s s ,
creativity recalled
and metaphors r e f e r r i n g t o
the m i r a c l e o f l i f e and cosmic o r d e r .
Le C o r b u s i e r persona,
known f o r i t s concerns
F i n a l l y , the
o f human w e l f a r e and human
h a b i t a t i o n raided the p o p u l a r i z a t i o n o f t h e Church as t h e House o f God,
a metaphor emphasised i n Mediator
Dei.
With t h e i n c o r p o r a t i o n o f forms
e v o c a t i v e o f s e v e r a l c i v i l i z a t i o n s and d i f f e r e n t
the c h a p e l e p i t o m i s e d
eras, i n c l u d i n g the present,
the t r a d i t i o n a l i s m combined w i t h u n i v e r s a l i s m which
the Church wished i t s image t o be.
Moreover, the h i g h d e s i g n
g i v e n t o the p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a l responses
priority
a p p r o p r i a t e t o .pilgrimage and
d e v o t i o n t o t h e V i r g i n demonstrated t h e analogous s i t u a t i o n then f e l t t o
e x i s t between a e s t h e t i c s and s p i r i t u a l i t y .
The immediate
responses
c r a f t e d by Le C o r b u s i e r served m a g n i f i c e n t l y as analogues t o the spontaneous sense o f t h e s a c r e d so much d e s i r e d by reformers w i t h i n t h e Church.
In summary, i t has been shown t h a t t h e c h a p e l has many f e a t u r e s
p e r t a i n i n g t o t h e l a r g e r context o f French
C a t h o l i c p h i l o s o p h y and i n -
volvement i n t h e a r t s than t h a t which t h e a t t r i b u t i o n o f t h e c h a p e l ' s
date or a r c h i t e c t would f u l l y convey.
the c h a p e l expresses
the thematic
F o r i n s t a n c e , i t can be shown t h a t
concerns
and d i s p l a y s t h e imagery o f
the contemporary c a t h o l i c poet, P a u l C l a u d e l .
and
schematic
I t incorporates the l i t e r a r y
d e v i c e s o f contemporary, avant-garde French
such as t h a t found
a t Assy, A u d i n c o u r t ,
and Vence.
Catholic art,
The c h a p e l a l s o demon-
s t r a t e s an i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of p i l g r i m a g e p l a n n i n g w i t h an i n c l u s i v e n e s s
equal to i t s contemporary Lourdes as w e l l as i t s M e d i e v a l
In i t s p o l i t i c a l d i a l e c t i c t h e c h a p e l bears w i t n e s s
of t h e Dominicans and the p a t r o n s
prototype.
t o the h e r o i c a c t i o n s
i n v o l v e d i n t h e Commission i n t h e i r
e f f o r t s t o r e v i t a l i z e C h r i s t i a n a r t and e x h a l t t h e freedom of f a i t h .
its
i n c o r p o r a t i o n o f obvious
In
Corbusian and s e c u l a r r e f e r e n c e s t h e c h a p e l
extends the p i l g r i m a g e beyond i t s p u r e l y r e l i g i o u s context t o the
wider,
u n i n i t i a t e d world beyond, g i v i n g a p l a c e of r e f u g e t o anyone - so approp r i a t e to the ecumenical
e r a of the 1950s.
Thus, the c h a p e l was
shown to be a nexus of contemporary
spirituality
and a s u c c i n c t e x p r e s s i o n of those i d e a l s shared by Le C o r b u s i e r and
French
Catholicism.
In c o n c l u s i o n , i t has been shown t h a t Notre-Dame-du-Haut d i d not,
l i k e Athena, s p r i n g from the head of Zeus f u l l y formed.
Haut evolved out of an a r c h i t e c t u r a l theory f i r s t
a r c h i t e c t u r e i n 1923
and was
i t s programmatic c o n t e x t .
presented
i n Vers
une
prompted by the s p i r i t u a l m i l i e u which formed
Notwithstanding
the i n t r i g u i n g and heavy i n -
debtedness which the c h a p e l ' s c o n c e p t i o n was
the n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y
Notre-Dame-du-
shown to have to Ruskin
p h i l o s o p h y which informed
sense of the s a c r e d , a e s t h e t i c a l l y and
the t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y ( F i g s . 44,
45).
spiritually
and
earliest
the c h a p e l c e l e b r a t e s
119
FOOTNOTES
INTRODUCTION
1. The major survey books f o r which t h i s was found t o be so a r e :
H. G a r d i n e r , A r t Through the Ages, 6 t h ed. (New York: H a r c o u r t Brace Inc.,
1959); S i g f r i e d G i e d i o n , Space, Time and A r c h i t e c t u r e , 5th ed. (Cambridge:
Harvard U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1967); Henry-Russel H i t c h c o c k , A r c h i t e c t u r e :
N i n e t e e n t h and T w e n t i e t h C e n t u r i e s , 4 t h ed. ( B a l t i m o r e : Penguin Books,
1958); C h a r l e s Jencks, Modern Movements i n A r c h i t e c t u r e ( B a l t i m o r e : Penguin Books, 1973); H.W. Janson, H i s t o r y of A r t (New York: Harry N. Abrams
Inc., 1962); N. Pevsner, An O u t l i n e of European A r c h i t e c t u r e , 7th. ed.
( B a l t i m o r e : Penguin Books, 1966). A photograph o f Ndtre^-Dame-du-Haut,
Ronchamp i s found on the cover o f Kidder-Smith's The New A r c h i t e c t u r e
of Europe ( B a l t i m o r e : Penguin Books, 1961).
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp a l s o f i g u r e s p r o m i n e n t l y i n t h e
major survey books of French modern e c c l e s i a s t i c a l b u i l d i n g .
Jean
C a p e l l a d e s , Guide des E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s en France ( B e l i q u e : Les E d i t i o n s
du C e r f , 1969); A. C h r i s t - J a n e r and Mary Mix-Folfey, Modern Church A r c h i t e c t u r e : A Guide t o the form and s p i r i t of 20th c e n t u r y r e l i g i o u s b u i l d i n g s
(New York: McGraw-Hill Book C o l , Inc., 1962); P e t e r Hammond, L i t u r g y and
A r c h i t e c t u r e (New York: Columbia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1961); Georges M e r c i e r ,
L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e R e l i g i e u s e Contemporaine en France (Tours: 1'ImprimerieR e l i u r e Mame, 1968); Edward M i l l s , The Modern Church (London: The A r c h i t e c t u r a l P r e s s , 1956); Joseph P i c h a r d , Les E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s a T r a v e r s
l e Monde ( P a r i s : E d i t i o n s des Deux-Mondes, 1960).
2. P a u l Doncoeur, " E s t h e t i q u e Moderne e t A r t Sacre. La C h a p e l l e
de Ronchamp," Etudes (Octobre 1955): 89-97; M a r t i n Purdy, "Le C o r b u s i e r
and the T h e o l o g i c a l Program," E d i t e d by Walden R u s s e l l , The Open Hand;
Essays on L e C o r b u s i e r (Cambridge: M.I.T. P r e s s , 1977), pp. 286^321.
3. Canon Ledeur, " C e l e b r a t i o n e t V e r i t e des Formes," L ' A r t Sacre
I- 2 (Septembre-Octobre 1966): 12-21.
4.
New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a , 1969 ed. s.v. "Ronchamp, Notre-Damedu-Haut"; Pere M.A. C o u t u r i e r "Le C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp," L ' A r t Sacre
I I - 12 ( J u i l l e t - A o u t 1953): 29-31; M a r c e l F e r r y i n L e C o r b u s i e r , Le' L i v r e
de Ronchamp, E d i t e d by Jean P e t i t ( P a r i s : Les C a h i e r s F o r c e s V i v e s ,
1961), pp. 13-14.
5.
J . L a b a t u t , "Ronchamp," A r c h i t e c t u r a l Record 118 (October
1955): 169; "Le C o r b u s i e r d e s i g n s a h i l l t o p c h a p e l shaped l i k e a f i d d l e , "
A r c h i t e c t u r a l Forum 99 ( J u l y 1953): 35.
6.
Good examples of t h e s u b j e c t i v e n a t u r e o f t h e j o u r n a l i s m about
the c h a p e l a r e : John E l y Burchard, "A P i l g r i m a g e :
Ronchamp, Raincy,
V e z e l a y , " A r c h i t e c t u r a l Record 123 (March 1958): 171-78; L a b a t u t ,
"Ronchamp," p. 169; E r n e s t o Rogers, " I I metodo d i L e C o r b u s i e r e de forms
d e l l a 'Chapelle de Ronchamp'," C a s a b e l l a 207 (1955): 2-6.
7.
Purdy, "Le C o r b u s i e r and t h e T h e o l o g i c a l Program," p.
318.
8.
Rogers, " I I metodo d i Le C o r b u s i e r , " pp. 3-6; C o u t u r i e r , "Le
120
C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp," pp. 29-31; A.M. Cocagnac, L ' A r t Sacre 1-2 (SeptembreOctobre 1955): 3-11; Robert Ginsberg, "Le C o r b u s i e r ' s Humanistic Chapel at
Ronchamp," R i v e s 18 (Printemps 1962): 23-30; Kidder-Smith, "Le C o r b u s i e r on
Ronchamp," A r c h i t e c t u r a l Review 123 ( A p r i l 1958): 68, 72: Robert S t o l l ,
Ronchamp ( P a r i s : Desclee De Brouwer, c. 1958).
9.
T h i s i s e s p e c i a l l y n o t i c e d i n the w r i t i n g of Rogers, " I I metodo
d i Le C o r b u s i e r , " pp. 3-6 and Abbe B o l l e - R e d d a t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut a
Ronchamp ( Z u r i c h : V e r l a g , S c h n e l l and S t e i n e r , 1976).
10. B o l l e - R e d d a t , J o u r n a l de Notre-Dame-du-Haut 55
1, 9; 57 ( J a n v i e r 1976): 1, 9.
The
98,
(Novembre 1975):
11. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, pp. 142, 141, 143; idem,
Chapel at Ronchamp (New York: F r e d e r i c k A. Praeger, 1957), pp. 92, 94,
99; idem, Oeuvre complete 1952 - 1957 ( Z u r i c h : W. B o e s i g e r , 1965), p. 38.
12. C o u t u r i e r , "Le C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp," pp. 29-31; Cocagnac, L ' A r t
Sacre, pp. 3-11; M.R.
C a p e l l a d e s , A.M. Cocagnac, and M.A. C o u t u r i e r , Les
C h a p e l l e s R o s a i r e a Vence par M a t i s s e et de Notre-Dame-du-Haut a Ronchamp
par Le C o r b u s i e r ( P a r i s : Les E d i t i o n s du C e r f , 1955), pp. 107-109; Mgr.
Dubois, L ' A r t Sacre 1-2 (Septembre-Octobre 1955): 22-25; Madeleine Ochse,
"Amarree au sommet de l a c h a p e l l e de Ronchamp de Le C o r b u s i e r , " E c c l e s i a
88 ( J u i l l e t 1956): 17-26.
13. Dubois, L ' A r t Sacre, pp. 22-25; C o u t u r i e r , "Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Ronchamp," pp. 3-11; Doncoeur, " E s t h e t i q u e Moderne et a r t s a c r e , " pp.
89-97.
CHAPTER I
les
1.
P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 6 4 ; P.-R.
Regamey, " L ' E s p r i t et
p r i n c i p e s , " L ' A r t Sacre" 1 (Decembre 1 9 4 6 ) :
1-19.
2.
1946):
3.
pp.
Gaston Bardet,
" L ' E g l i s e dans l a c i t e , "
L'Art
Sacre 1
(Decembre
20-32.
Pichard, E g l i s e s Nouvelles
, pp.
1-16;
Regamey, " L ' E s p r i t , "
3-8.
4.
Hugo S c h n e l l , Twentieth Century Church A r c h i t e c t u r e i n Germany,
t r a n s . b y ^ P a u l V. Dine (Munich: V e r l a g , S c h n e l l and S t e i n e r , 1 9 7 4 ) , p. 3 2 ;
P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 2 3 .
5.
Regamey, " L ' E s p r i t , " pp. 5 ,
L ' A r t Sacre 4 (Decembre 1 9 4 6 ) : 2 5 - 2 7 ;
L ' A r t Sacr£ 1 - 4 (Decembre 1 9 5 6 ) .
9 ; Gaston Bardet, "Le Centre P a r o i s i a l , "
P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , pp.
1-15;
/
\
6.
A l b e r t Munier, Un P r o j e t d ' E g l i s e au XXe S i e c l e ( P a r i s :
de Brouwer et c i e , 1 9 3 3 ) , p. 2 5 , 7 5 , 7 9 , 8 6 , 9 9 , 1 8 6 , 1 9 6 , 3 0 9 .
(New
y
Desclee
7.
Pie-Raymond Regamey, R e l i g i o u s A r t i n the T w e n t i e t h Century
York: Herder and Herder, 1 9 6 3 ) , p. 1 9 .
T h i s i s an E n g l i s h language
121«
a d a p t a t i o n of A r t s a c r e au XXe
siecle?
( P a r i s : E d i t i o n s du C e r f ,
1952).
8.
L o u i s M o n t a l t e , La B a s i l i q u e du P a i x et du Pardonne ( P a r i s :
L a v a l l o i s - P e r r e t , Impr. Schneider F r e s et Mory, 1948); "La P l a t e a u Prov e n c a l de l a S a i n t e Baume," Le Monde, 4 J u i l l e t 1948, p. 3; Rene-Jean,
" L ' A r t et L ' e g l i s e Pour une Renovation de l ' a r t s a c r e , " Le Monde, 22
J u i l l e t 1948, p. 5; M.A. C o u t u r i e r , Se Garder L i b r e ( P a r i s : E'ditions du
C e r f , 1961), p. 194; Cocagnac, L ' A r t Sacre, pp. 3-11; Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Oeuvre-complete 1946 - 1952 ( Z u r i c h : W. B o e s i g e r , 1953), pp. 28-31.
9.
Regamey, " L ' E s p r i t , " p. 6; Ledeur, " C e l e b r a t i o n , " p.
19.
10. Pope P i u s X I I , Mediator D e i , t r a n s . L i t u r g y V a t i c a n L i b r a r y
Washington: New C a t h o l i c Welfare Conference, 1947), p. 65.
11. B o l l e - R e d d a t ,
J o u r n a l 55:7;
58
( F e v r i e r 1976):
12. Canet to Le C o r b u s i e r , 24 March 1952,
14 J u l y 1953, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
4 J u l y 1952,
13. C o u t u r i e r , "Le C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp," pp.
Journal
55: 5-6.
14. Purdy, "Le C o r b u s i e r and
11:
29-31;
31 J u l y
1952,
Bolle-Reddat,
the T h e o l o g i c a l Program," pp.
287-321.
15. C o u t u r i e r , "Le C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp." p. 29; B o l l e - R e d d a t ,
Notre-Dame-du-Haut a Ronchamp, p. 3.
A l e t t e r from Canon Ledeur to Le
C o r b u s i e r dated 14 A p r i l 1951 i n d i c a t e s t h a t the p r o j e c t was o n l y a w a i t i n g
the n e c e s s a r y f i n a n c i a l a p p r o v a l of the p a r i s h .
16. Abbe Besancon to Le C o r b u s i e r , 13 March 1951, F o n d a t i o n Le
Corbusier, P a r i s .
These are Old French f r a n c s . They have the exchange
r a t e of 100 Old French f r a n c s to 1 New French f r a n c , and were changed 1 June
1960.
17. C. P e t i t to Le C o r b u s i e r , 14 February 1950; Abbe Besancon t o
Le C o r b u s i e r , 13 March 1951; P e t i t to Le C o r b u s i e r , 16 June 1952, Fondat i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
18. Quievreux to Le C o r b u s i e r , 8 February
1950,
Fondation
Le
Corbusier,
Paris.
19. Quievreux to Wogensky, 7 August 1952; Departamental I n s p e c t o r of
Urbanism and Housing to Wogensky, 12 December 1952; Le C o r b u s i e r to Canet,
19 June 1954, Fondation Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
20. Leonardo Benevolo, H i s t o r y of the Modern Movement v o l . 2
(London: Crosby Lockwood S t a p l e s , 1975), pp. 726, 727-728.
21. Canon Ledeur, " I n f o r m a t i o n du P u b l i c , " L ' A r t Sacre
(Decembre 1952): 31; P i c h a r d , L ' E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 31.
22. Regamey, R e l i g i o u s A r t , p.
19.
11-12
122
23. Ledeur, " C e l e b r a t i o n , " p.
24.
Bolle-Reddat,
25.
ibid.
19.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p.
2.
26. "2,~000 ans d ' a r t sacre_ separant sur l a meme c o l l i n e l a c h a p e l l e
de Le C o r b u s i e r et un temple p a i e n , " I l l u s t r e (Laussane) J u i n 1955, p. 8.
27. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Chape'l at Ronchamp, p. 88; idem, Oeuvre complete
1946 - 1952, p/ 88; "2,000 ans," p. 8; J.M. Nussbaum, "Le beton arme" e s t
e n t r e dans l e champ de l a mystique," La Gazzette-Laussane Aout. '.• 27-28,
1955, p. 10.
28. Canon Ledeur to Le C o r b u s i e r , 6 May 1950, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r ,
P a r i s ; Robert Furneaux Jordan, l e c o r b u s i e r (London: J.M. Dent and Sons
L t d . , 1972), pp. 131-32.
29. Jordan, l e c o r b u s i e r , p. 131; "a h i l l t o p c h a p e l , " p.
C a p e l l a d e s , Cocagnac, C o u t u r i e r , Les C h a p e l l e s , p. 107.
30.
"a h i l l t o p
c h a p e l , " p.
35.
31. Ledeur to Le C o r b u s i e r ,
1 May
1951,
Fondation
32. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, p.
33.
Capellades,
34.
Jordan,
35.
Bolle-Reddat,
36.
i b i d . , p.
37.
ibid.
38.
ibid.
39. New
du-Haut."
40.
Le C o r b u s i e r ,
l e c o r b u s i e r , p.
Paris.
122.
Cocagnac, C o u t u r i e r , Les C h a p e l l e s ,
Journal
35;
p.107
132.
55:7.
6.
Catholic Encyclopedia,
Bolle-Reddat,
Journal
1967
ed.,
s.v.
"Ronchamp, Notre-Dame-
55:7.
41. Canon Ledeur to Le C o r b u s i e r ,
14 A p r i l
1951,
Fondation
Le
42. Canon Ledeur to Le C o r b u s i e r , 23 A p r i l 1951, 1 May 1951; Le
C o r b u s i e r to Canon Ledeur, 19 A p r i l 1951, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
43. B o l l e - R e d d a t ,
44.
Journal
55:7.
Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete 1946
- 1952,
p. 88.
Finances
123
were assured between 1 May 1951, a t which date a l e t t e r from Canon Ledeur
to Le C o r b u s i e r i n d i c a t e s d i s c u s s i o n c o n c e r n i n g f i n a n c e s s t i l l c o n t i n e d ,
and s p r i n g 1952 as i n d i c a t e d by Le C o r b u s i e r i n h i s Oeuvre complete 19461952.
CHAPTER I I
1. New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a , 1967 ed. s.v. " L i t u r g i c a l
by L.C. Sheppard.
by
2.
ibid.
3.
ibid.
4. New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a ,
L.M. V e r o s t k o .
5.
L.'M.
pp.
Movement,"
1967 ed. s.v. " L i t u r g i c a l A r t , "
i b i d . ; Hammond, L i t u r g y , p. 9.
Verostko.
7.
ibid.
8.
ibid.
9.
ibid.
1967 ed. s.v. " L i t u r g i c a l
A r t , " by
10. Hammond, L i t u r g y , pp. 52-66; S c h n e l l , A r c h i t e c t u r e i n Germany,
33-35; Regamey, R e l i g i o u s A r t , p. 247.
11. Hammond, L i t u r g y , p. 55.
1967 ed.
s.v.
13. P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 60; W i l l i a m Rubin, Modern Sacred
Art and t h e Church a t Assy (New York: Columbia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1961),
p. 24.
14. Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t , p. 29.
L.-M.
Verostko.
1967 ed. s.v. " L i t u r g i c a l
A r t , " by
16. Munier, Un P r o j e t , pp. 87, 90, 194, 198, 199, 201, 202, 203.
17. P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 139.
18. i b i d . , pp. 24-25; Regamey, R e l i g i o u s A r t , p. 228; Pope P i u s X I I ,
Mediator D e i , p. 63.
19. Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t , p. 29.
124
20. New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a
Verostko.
21. Pope P i u s X I I , Mediator
1967 ed. s.v. " L i t u r g i c a l A r t j " by L..M.
D e i , p. 65.
22. i b i d . , pp. 26, 64, 66; Hammond, L i t u r g y , emphasises t h e f u n c t i o n a l i s t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n t o be g i v e n t h i s pp. 3 - 8. So too does Maurice
Lavaneaux, " P r e l i m i n a r y Report: P l r s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l Congress of C a t h o l i c
A r t i s t s , " L i t u r g i c a l A r t s 19 (November 1950): 4-6.
24.
D e i , pp. 45, 62.
ibid.
25. Le C o r b u s i e r et P i e r r e Jeanneret, Oeuvre complete 1910 - 1929
( Z u r i c h : W. Boeseger et 0. Stonorov, 1943), p. 40; Le C o r b u s i e r , The
Radiant C i t y (London: Faber and Faber, 1964), p. 143.
26. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965 (London: Hudson and Hudson,
1967), p. 34; P h i l i p p e Boudon, L i v e d i n A r c h i t e c t u r e , Le C o r b u s i e r ' s Pessac
R e v i s i t e d (London: Lund Humphries, 1972), pp. 38-39; C h a r l e s Jencks,
Le C o r b u s i e r and the T r a g i c View o f A r c h i t e c t u r e (Cambridge: Harvard U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1973), p. 26.
27. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, p. 293; idem, Towards
a hew a r c h i t e c t u r e , t r a n s . F r e d e r i c k E t c h e l l s (London: The A r c h i t e c t u r a l
P r e s s , 1946),p. 219.
28. Bardet, " L ' E g l i s e dans l a c i t e , " pp. 19-26; idem, "Le Centre
P a r o i s s a l , " pp. 25-27.
29. Hammond, L i t u r g y , p. 51; Mathey t o Le C o r b u s i e r ,
F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
15 March 1951,
D e i , pp. 7, 14-15, 18-19, 30-31.
31. Le C o r b u s i e r had o f t e n attempted t o f i n d s i m i l a r i t i e s between
h i s aims and those of h i s p a t r o n .
He d i d so a t Pessac and a g a i n a t
Chandigarh.
Boudon, Pessac, and S t a n i l a u s v o n Moos, "The P o l i t i c s o f t h e
Open Hand: Notes on Le C o r b u s i e r and Nehru a t Chandigarh," ed. R u s s e l l
Walden, The Open Hand: Essays on Le C o r b u s i e r , pp. 413-48.
pp.
32. Regamey, " L ' E s p r i t , " pp. 1-32; Bardet, " L ' E g l i s e dans l a c i t e , "
20-32; Bardet, "Le Centre P a r o i s s a l , " pp. 1-31.
by L.C. Sheppard.
1967 ed. s.v. " L i t u r g i c a l Movement,"
34. "La P l a t e a u P r o v e n c a l de l a S a i n t e Baume," p. 3; Rene-Jean,
" L ' A r t e t l ' e g l i s e , " ; Le C o r b u s i e r a l s o reproduces a newspaper c l i p p i n g
r e f e r r i n g t o t h e c o n t r o v e r s y a t Sainte-Baume. Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete
1946 - 1952, p. 30.
12535. New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a , 1967 ed. s.v. " C o u t u r i e r , P i e r r e
M a r i e A l a i n , " by J . P i c h a r d ; P&re C o u t u r i e r , " R e l i g i o u s A r t and the
Modern A r t i s t , " The Magazine of A r t 44:7 (November 1951): 270; Rubin,
Modern Sacred A r t , pp. 68-69. Pere C o u t u r i e r ' s book Dieu et l ' a r t dans
une V i e ( P a r i s : Les E d i t i o n s du C e r f , 1965) c h r o n i c l e s h i s s p i r i t u a l and
a r t i s t i c development from 1897 to 1945 and shows h i s p e r s o n a l and deeply
f e l t concern f o r the i s y n t h e s i s of these two endeavours.
36. Pere M a r i e - A l a i n C o u t u r i e r , Chroniques (Montreal: E d i t i o n s de
l ' A r b r e , c. 1947); A r t et C a t h o l i c i s m e ( M o n t r e a l : E d i t i o n s de l ' A r b r e , 1948);
Se Garder L i b r e , 1961; M a r c e l P e r i z e a u ( M o n t r e a l : L'Arbre, 1945). For a
b i b l i o g r a p h y of r e l e v a n t a r t i c l e s w r i t t e n by Pere C o u t u r i e r see Rubin,
Modern Sacred A r t , p. 171.
37. New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a , 1967 ed. s.v., " C o u t u r i e r , P i e r r e
Marie A l a i n . " ; P i c h a r d , feglises N o u v e l l e s , p. 61.
38. Pere C o u t u r i e r , "Aux Grands hommes l e s grandes choses,"
L ' A r t Sacre ( M a i - J u i n 1950): 3-6.
39. New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a , 1967 ed. s.v. " C o u t u r i e r , P i e r r e
M a r i e A l a i n ; " C o u t u r i e r , Dieu e t l ' a r t , pp. 42-49, 77.
40.
C o u t u r i e r , D i e u et l ' a r t , pp. 212-219.
41. Pere C o u t u r i e r , "Deux E g l i s e s
1938): 17-21.
Savoyards,"
L ' A r t Sacre 29 (Mai
42. C o u t u r i e r , " R e l i g i o u s A r t , " pp. 3-6; Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t ,
p. 171.
43.
Rubin, Modern Sacred
44. Jordan,
La B a s i l i q u e , l a c k s p a g i n a t i o n .
C o u t u r i e r , Dieu et l ' a r t , pp. 256, 288-89.
47. Jordan,
48.
Le C o r b u s i e r , p. 19.
l e c o r b u s i e r , p. 132; C o u t u r i e r , Se Garder L i b r e , p. 49.
45. M o n t a l t e ,
46.
A r t , p. 36; G a u t h i e r ,
l e c o r b u s i e r , p. 144.
ibid.
49. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, p. 166.
50. Le C o r b u s i e r
to C o u t u r i e r , 23 November
51. Rubin, Modern Sacred
pp.
52. i b i d . ,
89-97.
1952, Fondation
Le
A r t , pp. 68-69.
pp. 62, 63; Doncoeur, " E s t h e t i q u e Moderne et A r t S a c r e , "
126
53. Le C o r b u s i e r , C r e a t i o n i s a P a t i e n t Search, t r a n s . James Palmes,
i n t r o d u c t i o n by Maurice J a r d o t (New York: F r e d e r i c k A. Praeger, 1960), p. 13
54. Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete
1946
- 1952,
p.
30.
55. Jencks, Le C o r b u s i e r , pp. 18, 23, 25; Le C o r b u s i e r , "Poeme de l ' a n
gle
. d r o i t , " A r c h i t e c t u r e du Bonheur (et) l'urbanisme e s t une c l e f
( P a r i s : P r e s s e s d ' l l e de France, 1955).
56. Le C o r b u s i e r t o G l i s c o n , 25 March 1954,
F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Paris.
57. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Chapel at Ronchamp, p.
58. Wogensky t o Canet,
11 May
127.
1954, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
59. P i e r r e Vago, "Comite de Patronage de 1 ' a r c h i t e c t u r e d'Aujourd'hui,
L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e d'Aujourd'hui 22 (Mars 1949) : IX.
60. P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p.
61. C o u t u r i e r , D i e u et l ' a r t , p.
63. i b i d . , pp. 23,
64. i b i d . , p.
213.
38.
183.
183.
65. Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t , pp.
66. Regamey,
61.
R e l i g i o u s A r t , p.
177-178.
13.
67. P i e r r e Vago,"A Propos d'Art S a c r e , " L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e d'Aujourd'hui
(Octobre 1948): XI.
:
20
68. idem, "Comite de Patronage,", p. V I I .
69. i b i d . ;
idem, "A Propos d ' A r t S a c r e , " p. V I I .
70. idem, "A Propos d'Art S a c r e , " p. XI.
71. Regamey, R e l i g i o u s A r t , p. 7.
72. i b i d . , p.
232.
73. idem, " L ' E s p r i t , " pp.
74. i b i d . , p.
224.
75. i b i d . , pp. 229-30.
76. i b i d . , pp.
20-21.
13-17.
12777.
i b i d . , pp.
222,
78.
ibid.,
230,
79.
i b i d . , pp.
83,
80.
i b i d . , pp.
132-33.
81.
i b i d . , pp.
24,
82.
i b i d . , pp.
83.
83.
i b i d . pp.
pp.
17,
225.
226,
227.
29.
25.
18.
84. Jordan, l e c o r b u s i e r , p.
June 1978, Vancouver.
132;
M a r c e l F e r r y to the w r i t e r , 25
17.
86. Le C o r b u s i e r , When the C a t h e d r a l s Were White (Toronto: McGraw
H i l l Book Co., 1964), pp. 3, 34, 93, 128,
146.
87. Compare the endeavours o f the Dominicans at Ste. Baume r e l a t e d
by L o u i s B o i t e l , L i e u x d ' E g l i s e ( P a r i s : Aux E d i t i o n s du S e u i l , 1975), pp.
105, w i t h Le C o r b u s i e r ' s involvement at Ste. Baume i n Oeuvre complete
1946 - 1952, pp. 32 - 39.
88. Mathey to Le C o r b u s i e r ,
15 March 1951,
Fondation
Le
89-
Corbusier,
Paris.
19.
90. Reverend R i c h a r d James Douadre, " P i l g r i m a g e to Assy - an A p p r a i s a l , "
L i t u r g i c a l A r t s 19 (February 1951): 30.
AouV
91. Ledeur, " I n f o r m a t i o n
1951): 6.
du P u b l i c , " L ' A r t Sacre no.
92.
idem, " C e l e b r a t i o n , " p.
93.
ibid.
94.
ibid.
95.
ibid.
19.
96. M a r c e l F e r r y to the w r i t e r , 25 June 1978,
97. Ledeur, " C e l e b r a t i o n " p.
11-12
Vancouver.
20.
98.
ibid.
99.
Canon Ledeur to Le C o r b u s i e r , 23 A p r i l ,
1951.
(Juliiet-
128
100. Ledeur, " C e l e b r a t i o n , " p. 15.
101.
ibid.
102. Le C o r b u s i e r , Modulor
1958), p. 252.
2, 1955 (London: Faber and Faber L t d . ,
104.
i b i d . , p. 17.
105. Le C o r b u s i e r , New World o f Space
1948), p. 8.
(New York: Reynal and H i t c h c o c k ,
106. idem, Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, p. 18.
108. Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete 1946 - 1952, p. 88.
109. idem, Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , pp. 18, 47.
t r a n s l a t i o n of t h e 1923 Vers une a r c h i t e c t u r e .
110. Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre
This i s a
complete 1946 - 1952, p. 88.
111. Ledeur, " C e l e b r a t i o n , : p. 16.
112. Canon Ledeur t o Le C o r b u s i e r , 1 May. 1951, F o n d a t i o n Le
113.
ibid.
114. Each o f t h e t h r e e stages added i t s contemporary concerns t o
the e v a l u a t i o n o f past Church b u i l d i n g achievements. The second s t a g e
i s r e p r e s e n t e d by a group of books t h a t appeared a f t e r World War I I i n
which many of t h e churches t h a t were c o n s i d e r e d exemplary o f a modern
s t y l e i n Munier's book o f 1932 were d e l e t e d .
A d d i t i o n a l l y , an expanded
h i s t o r i c a l c o n t e x t was thought an a p p r o p r i a t e e d i t o r i a l accompaniment and
s o c i a l c o n t e x t was much emphasised.
Les E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s (1960) by
J . P i c h a r d , Modern Church A r c h i t e c t u r e (1962) by A. C h r i s t - J a n e r
and M.
M i x - F o l e y , and L i t u r g y and A r c h i t e c t u r e (1961) by P. Hammond a r e t h e
major books o f t h e second stage. These t h r e e books, and e s p e c i a l l y
Hammond, s t r e s s e d t h e importance of t h e l i t u r g i c a l movement i n shaping
the new and v a r i e d developments o f modern church a r c h i t e c t u r e .
The t h i r d s t a g e i n t h e documentation o f modern church a r c h i t e c t u r e shows a s h i f t i n h i s t o r i c a l p e r s p e c t i v e . T h i s i s n o t i c e a b l e i n
L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e R e l i g i e u s e Contemporaine en France (1968) by G. M e r c i e r
and Guide des E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s en France (1969) by J . C a p e l l a d e s .
Here
a g r e a t e r number of churches c o n s i d e r e d modern i n t h e e a r l i e r surveys
were d e l e t e d .
Most of t h e remaining examples were r e l e g a t e d t o t h e
s t a t u s o f p r e c u r s o r s and few o f t h e examples c i t e d i n e i t h e r o f t h e s e
surveys date from b e f o r e t h e c o m p l e t i o n o f Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp.
129
115. Munier, Un p r o j e t , pp. 50-68, 69-70, 92-107.
116. i b i d . , pp. 16, 50; P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 18; Georges
M e r c i e r , L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e R e l i g i e u s e Contempofaine en F r a n c e :
v e r s une
synthese des a r t s (Tours: 1'Imprimerie R e l i u r e Mame, 1968), p. 7.
117. P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 18; H e n r y - R u s s e l l H i t c h c o c k ,
A r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 421; E r n e s t George Schwiebert J r . , "The P r i m i t i v e
Roots o f A r c h i t e c t u r e " (PhD d i s s e r t a t i o n , P r i n c e t o n U n i v e r s i t y , 1966),
p. 391.
p.
118. P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s ,
17; Hammond, L i t u r g y , p. 52.
p. 39; Jean C a p e l l a d e s ,
Guide,
119. M e r c i e r , L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e R e l i g i e u s e , p. 11.
120. Bernard Champigneuille, P e r r e t ( P a r i s : A r t s e t M e t i e r s
Graphiques, 1957), p. 47; The American A r c h i t e c t 126 (September 1924):
249-50.
121.
Champigneuille,
P e r r e t , p. 47.
122. Champigneuille, P e r r e t , p. 8; P e t e r C o l l i n s , Concrete, The
V i s i o n of a New A r c h i t e c t u r e (London: Faber and Faber, 1959), p. 240.
123. S c h n e l l , A r c h i t e c t u r e i n Germany, pp. 41-48.
124. Champigneuille,
P e r r e t , p. 38; C o l l i n s , Concrete,
p. 231.
127.
ibid.
p. 77.
131.
pp. 61-64; Regamey, R e l i g i o u s A r t ,
A r t , p. 44.
Art,
p.' 240.
pp. 61-62.
pp. 24-25; Rubin, Modern
Sacred
A r t , pp. 45-63.
C o u t u r i e r , "Deux E g l i s e s , " pp. 117-121; Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t ,
p. 30.
132. C o u t u r i e r , " R e l i g i o u s A r t , " pp. 117-121.
134.
P. 14,
Capellades,
A r t , pp. 45-63.
. Cocagnac, and
Couturier, Les Chapelles,
13,0
135. i b i d . , p. 16.
136. D o u a i r e ,
" P i l g r i m a g e t o A s s y , " p..131.
137. C o u t u r i e r , " R e l i g i o u s A r t , " p. 270.
138. idem, "Le C o r b u s i e r - Ronchamp," p. 31.
CHAPTER I I I
1.
Regamey, R e l i g i o u s A r t , p. 96.
2.
The c o m p l e t i o n o f a p i l g r i m a g e i m p a r t s a sense o f a c c o m p l i s h ment, and t h e r e f o r e p r i d e t o t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . T h i s i s e x p r e s s e d i n P a u l
C l a u d e l ' s Annonce F a i t e a M a r i e (1912). P e r e C o u t u r i e r a l s o emphasises
the p e r s o n a l and human a s p e c t s o f p i l g r i m a g e i n h i s p e r s o n a l j o u r n a l .
C o u t u r i e r , D i e u e t l ' a r t , p. 230. Le C o r b u s i e r a l s o a s s o c i a t e s p r i d e i n
p e r s o n a l achievement and quest w i t h p i l g r i m a g e , a l t h o u g h o f a s e c u l a r
k i n d . Le C o r b u s i e r , When t h e C a t h e d r a l s Were W h i t e , p. x i x .
3.
Hammond d i s c u s s e s numerous types o f p l a n s , h i s t o r i c a l and contemporary, b u t he makes no mention o f p i l g r i m a g e churches o r p l a n s
d i s t i n c t i v e t o them,. see Hammond L i t u r g y . The same s i t u a t i o n can be
noted i n P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s ; M e r c i e r , L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e R e l i g i e u s e ;
C a p e l l a d e s , Guide; M u n i e r , Un P r o j e t .
4.
L o u i s P i e s s a t , Tony G a m i e r (Lyon: Musee des B e a u x - A r t s , 1970),
lacks pagination.
5.
Montalte,
La B a s i l i q u e , lacks pagination.
6.
F r e d a W h i t e , West o f t h e Rhone (New Y o r k : W.W. N o r t o n & Co.,
I n c . , 1964), pp. 54-62; A r c h i b a l d L y a l l , The Companion Guide t o t h e South
of France (London: W.M. C o l l i n s , 1963), pp. 164-67; P o i t e l , L i e u x d ' E g l i s e ,
pp. 90-91, 109-135.
7.
B e r n a r d T s c h i e m i , " A r c h i t e c t u r e and i t s Double," A r c h i t e c t u r a l
D e s i g n 48 (no. 2-3 1978): 114-15.
/
/
8.
D i c t i o n n a i r e des E g l i s e s de F r a n c e I I I , E d i t i o n s Robert L a
Hont 1967 ed. s.v. " L o u r d e s , " by M a d e l e i n e Ochse.
9.
Kenneth Conant, C a r o l i n g i a n and Romanesque A r c h i t e c t u r e 800
t o 1200 ( B a l t i m o r e : P e n g u i n Books, 1959), p. 94.
10.
i b i d . , p. 93-94.
11.
i b i d . , p. 93.
12. W h i t e , West o f t h e Rhone, pp. 149, 176, 178, 209; B o l l e Reddat, Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p. 19.
131
et
13.
P a u l Joanne, Geographle de l a Haute-Soane ( P a r i s :
C i e , 1907), p. 47.
Hatchette
14.
Canon B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut a Ronchamp (Manuel du P e l e r i n )
(Lyons: E d i t i o n s Lescuyen, n.d.), pp. 9, 12, 13, 24-5.
I t i s merely the
V i r g i n t h a t i s r e f e r r e d to i n most documentation, i n c l u d i n g t h a t of Abbe"'
Bolle-Reddat.
However, the s t a t u e i s of the V i r g i n h o l d i n g a c h i l d i n
her arms. The c h a p e l i s d e d i c a t e d to the N a t i v i t y of the V i r g i n .
C a p e l l a d e s , Cocognac, C o u t u r i e r , Les C h a p e l l e s , p. 108.
15.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p.
16.
i b i d . , p.
3.
10.
17.
i b i d . , p. 17.
B e l o t s t a t e s t h a t the f i r s t mention of an event
a s s o c i a t e d t o the N a t i v i t y of the V i r g i n o c c u r s i n a t h i r t e e n t h - c e n t u r y
document dated the f i r s t F r i d a y a f t e r N a t i v i t y of September 1271 t h a t
granted s p e c i a l s a f e t y i n the v i c i n i t y by Count Othon IV of Burgundy. T h i s
would be important i n e s t a b l i s h i n g the a s s o c i a t i o n of r e f u g e so important
and r e c u r r e n t i n the p o p u l a r accounts of the c h a p e l ' s h i s t o r y .
18.
B o l l e - R e d d a t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p. 5.
Although B o l l e - R e d d a t
r e c o r d s the presence of p i l g r i m s i n 1271, B e l o t does n o t .
The p i l g r i m s
mentioned by Bolle-Reddat may have been on t h e i r way t o Compostela and
took advantage of the newly granted s a f e passage.
19.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p. 25.
I t was p r o b a b l y a t t h i s date
t h a t the c h a p e l r e c e i v e d i t s d e d i c a t i o n t o the N a t i v i t y of the V i r g i n
because i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o change the d e d i c a t i o n g i v e n t o a church a c c o r d i n g t o canon law.
20.
B o l l e - R e d d a t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p.
21.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, pp.
22.
ibid.
The new
Notre Dame de Septembre.
23.
18.
15-16.
church became Notre-Dame de l a S a i n t e V i e r g e or
ibid.
24.
i b i d . , p. 25.
In 1778 exvotos a t t e s t t o a t t r i b u t i o n s of the
m i r a c u l o u s w i t h the s i t e .
In 1873, 3,500 p i l g r i m s gathered a t Ronchamp
on September 8 and i n 1926 12,000 p i l g r i m s gathered f o r Corpus C h r i s t i .
Notre-Dame-du-Haut was a b l e t o evade the r e p e r c u s s i o n s of the R e p u b l i c a n
era which c o n f i s c a t e d the s a n c t u a r y as a n a t i o n a l good because i t was
bought by f o r t y - f i v e p a r i s h i o n e r s and became p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y .
Conseq u e n t l y , when the Law of S e p a r a t i o n c o n f i s c a t e d Church p r o p e r t y i n 1906
the c h a p e l was a g a i n saved by i t s s t a t u s of p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y .
This
g r e a t l y enhanced the c h a p e l to n e i g h b o u r i n g p a r i s h e s who had no other
access to a church.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, pp. 23, 27, 50, 23-25.
25.
i b i d . , p.
37.
132
26. B o l l e - R e d d a t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p. 22. B o l l e - R e d d a t r e f e r s
to September 8 as a t r a d i t i o n a l r e g i o n a l p i l g r i m a g e and adds t h a t t h e r e
are p i l g r i m a g e s from E a s t e r to A l l S a i n t s .
B e l o t s t a t e s t h a t t h e major
p i l g r i m a g e s a r e Corpus C h r i s t i and the N a t i v i t y . B e l o t , Notre-Dame-duHaut , p. 4.
27. Maurice Dumolin e t George O u t a r d e l , Les E g l i s e s de F r a n c e :
P a r i s e t l a Seine ( P a r i s : L i b r a i r i e et Ane, 1936), pp. 264-65.
28.
ibid.
29.
ibid.
30.
D i c t i o n n a i r e des E g l i s e s de France , 1967 ed. s.v., "Lourdes".
31.
ibid.
32.
ibid.
33.
Munier, Un P r o j e t ,
34.
i b i d . , pp. 166-67.
35.
ibid.
36.
ibid.
37.
38.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p. 26.
'
pp.
40-42.
A
A
/
A
39.
40.
Munier, Un P r o j e t , pp.
41.
i b i d . , p. 297.
42.
ibid.
43.
Montalte, La B a s i l i q u e , lacks
44.
ibid.
45.
ibid.
46.
Christ-Janer
47.
Hammond, L i t u r g y , p. 55.
48.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, pp. 16-34.
M o n t a l t e , L a B a s i l i q u e , S a i n t e Baume F i l e , F o n d a t i o n Le
Paris.
49.
Corbusier,
A
295-300.
pagination.
and M i x - F o l e y , Modern Church A r c h i t e c t u r e , pp.
62-63.
133
A
50.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, pp. 60, 50,. He mentions t h e e n c i r c l i n g o f t h e p a r i s h church i n t h e v i l l a g e on a Corpus C h r i s t i c e l e b r a tion.
51.
i b i d . , pp. 8-11, 17-29, 49, 60.
52.
53.
Le C o r b u s i e r to Bourdin, 3 J u l y
'
A
1952, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Paris.
54. Some of h i s w r i t i n g and drawings demonstrate an i n t e r e s t i n
C h a r t r e s c a t h e d r a l and Cluny.
I n a l e t t e r t o Ledeur he r e f e r s t o Ghartres
as a p r e c u r s o r t o Notre-Dame-du-Haut. L i k e Abbot Suger a t S t . Denis he p l a c e d
an emphasis on t h e c e r e m o n i a l door and on the m e t a p h y s i c a l p o s s i b i l i t i e s
of l i g h t as an e x h a l t a t i o n o f t h e p i l g r i m s ' movements. Le C o r b u s i e r , 1 ' a r t
d e c o r a t i f d ' a u j o u r d ' h u i , p. 202; Le C o r b u s i e r t o Ledeur, 25 A p r i l 1955,
F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
55.
The Columbia L i p p i n c o t t Gazeteer of t h e World, E d i t e d by Leon
E. S e t z e r (New York: Columbia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1952), p. 1600.
56.
M a i s s o n i e r t o Le C o r b u s i e r , 1 January
1951, F o n d a t i o n Le
57.
Le C o r b u s i e r , The Chapel a t Ronchamp, p. 107.
58.
59.
H.E. C o l l i n s , The Church E d i f i c e and i t s appointments
m i n s t e r : The Newman P r e s s , 1953), pp. 176-77.
(West-
60.
P a u l T h i r y , R i c h a r d Bennet and L Kamphvefner, Churches and
Temples (New York: R e i n h o l d P u b l i s h i n g Cor;., 1953), p. 55c.
61.
Canet t o Le C o r b u s i e r , 23 June 1956, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Paris.
62. Rudolf Otto, The i d e a o f t h e h o l y ; an i n q u i r y i n t o t h e nonr a t i o n a l f a c t o r i n t h e i d e a o f t h e d i v i n e and i t s r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e
r a t i o n a l , t r a n s . John W. Harvey (London: H. M u l f o r d Oxford U n i v e r s i t y
P r e s s , 1931:, pp. 12-24.
63.
64.
/
A
CHAPTER IV
1.
Le C o r b u s i e r , The Chapel a t Ronchamp, pp. 79, 92, 99-, 102,
2.
i b i d . , pp. 92, 99.
134-
of
99...
3.
I b i d . , p.
4.
ibid.
5.
i b i d . , pp.
6.
idem, Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, pp. 131,134.
7.
i b i d . , pp.
8.
i b i d . , p.
9.
idem, The
10.
i b i d . , p.
11.
idem, Le C o r b u s i e r
91,
102.
102,
120.
120.
Chapel a t Ronchamp, p,.
91.
120.
1910
-
1965, p.
256.
12. James S t i r l i n g , "Ronchamp Le C o r b u s i e r ' s Chapel and the
R a t i o n a l i s m , " A r c h i t e c t u r a l Review 119 (March 1957): 155-61.
13. H i t c h c o c k , A r c h i t e c t u r e , p.
14. Le C o r b u s i e r , The
Crisis
523.
Chapel at Ronchamp, p.
88.
15. Le C o r b u s i e r to Cure of Ronchamp, 17 January 1951; Abbe
to Le C o r b u s i e r , 21 January 1952, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
Bourdin
16. Abbe Bourdin to Le C o r b u s i e r , 21 January 1952; Abbe Dubois
to M a i s s o n i e r , 16 November 1950, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
17. Le C o r b u s i e r to Cure of Ronchamp, 17 January 1951,
Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
Fondation
18. Abbe Bourdin to Le C o r b u s i e r , 21 January 1952, F o n d a t i o n Le
Former problems experienced at the s i t e were the absence of water, i t s s u s c e p t i b i l i t y to l i g h t n i n g , and the p r e v e l e n c e of
h i g h winds from the n o r t h and southeast.
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
pp. 32, 35, 40.
Le C o r b u s i e r u n d e r l i n e d these i n h i s copy of B e l o t ' s
book and the o p e r a b l e c i s t e r n and the partommeter on the south tower and
perhaps the use of r e i n f o r c e d c o n c r e t e r e s u l t e d from c o n s i d e r a t i o n of
these problems.
107
19. F e l i x J . Samuely, "Concrete
(May 1950): 331.
up to Date," A r c h i t e c t u r a l Review
20. Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete 1938
- 1946,
p.
21. Benevolo, H i s t o r y of the Modern Movement, pp.
22.
Samuely, "Concrete
up to Date," p.
95.
726-28.
331.
23. Winter, "Le C o r b u s i e r ' s T e c h n o l o g i c a l Dilemma," pp.
343-46.
135
24. Canon Ledeur to Le C o r b u s i e r ,
25. Ledeur, " C e l e b r a t i o n , : p.
ibid.,
pp.
Le
224,225.
531-53.
28. Munier, Un P r o j e t , pp.
187-207.
29. Lavanoux, " P r e l i m i n a r y R e p o r t , " pp.
30.
Fondation
19.
26. H i t c h c o c k , A r c h i t e c t u r e , pp.
27.
14 January 1951,
4-6.
ibid.
187-207.
32. P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p. 39;
Germany, pp. 39-48.
Schnell, Architecture i n
247.
34. Jean P e t i t , Le C o r b u s i e r Lui-Meme (Geneve: E d i t i o n s Rousseau,
c. 1970), p. 72.
35. Le C o r b u s i e r et P i e r r e Jeanneret,
( Z u r i c h : W. B o e s i g e r , 1935), pp. 15-17.
Oeuvre complete 1929
- 1952,
37.
70.
idem, Le C o r b u s i e r
1910
- 1965,
p.
( Z u r i c h : W i l l y B o e s i g e r , 1946) pp. 94-94.
39. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le C o r b u s i e r
40.
ibid.,
p.
137;
1910
p.
pp.
idem, Oeuvre complete 1946
1934
-
1946
58.
- 1965,
-
112-13.
- 1952,
pp.
15-17.
41. B r i a n Bruce T a y l o r , "Le C o r b u s i e r at Pessac:
P r o f e s s i o n a l and
C l i e n t R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , " ed. R u s s e l l Walden, The Open Hand, pp. 164,
166.
42. F.R.S. Yorke, The Modern House (Cheam: The A r c h i t e c t u r a l P r e s s ,
1944) p. 82; W i l l i a m Jordy, "The Symbolic Essence of Modern European
A r c h i t e c t u r e of the Twentieth Century and I t s C o n t i n u i n g I n f l u e n c e , "
J o u r n a l of the S o c i e t y of A r c h i t e c t u r a l H i s t o r i a n s 22 (March 1963): 101.
44.
126.
ibid.
45. Le C o r b u s i e r to M.
Paris.
G i s c l o n , 25 March 1954,
Fondation
Le
Corbusier,
136
46. idem, Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, pp.
47. Jordy,
163-65.
"Symbolic Essence," p. 181.
48. Le C o r b u s i e r , Radiant
Search, pp. 160-61.
49. idem, Le C o r b u s i e r
50. i b i d . , pp. 36, 114,
C i t y , p. 143; idem, C r e a t i o n i s a P a t i e n t
1910 - 1965, pp. 59, 104-05,
108, 25.
135.
51. idem, Oeuvre complete 1946 - 1952, p. 117.
52. idem, Les c a r n e t s de l a recherche p a t i e n t e : une p e t i t e maison
( Z u r i c h : E d i t i o n s G i r s b e r g e r , 1954), p. 32; idem, Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965,
pp. 104 - 109.
53. idem, C r o i s a d e : ou l e c r e p u s c u l e des academies ( P a r i s : G. Cres,
1933), p. 70; idem, Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, p. 59; idem, Oeuvre complete
1946 - 1952, p. 76.
1910 - 1965, pp. 33, 43, 49, 55.
55. Bruno Z e v i , The Modern Language of A r c h i t e c t u r e (Vancouver:
Douglas and M c l n t y r e L t d . , 1978), p. 31.
56.
ibid.
57. "a h i l l t o p c h a p e l , " p. 35.
58. P e t i t , Le C o r b u s i e r Lui-Meme, pp.
40-43.
59. Le C o r b u s i e r , C a t h e d r a l s , p. 3.
60. B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
annotated copy i n F o n d a t i o n
61. Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e d ' A u j o u r d ' h u i (Octobre
pp.
Le
1949),
7-9.
A
62. idem, The Chapel at Ronchamp, p. 88. B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
Le C o r b u s i e r ' s u n d e r l i n i n g s a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y i n s i g h t f u l i n t o p o s s i b l e
c o n s c i o u s attempts t o r e - e v a l u a t e t r a d i t i o n .
63. idem, Oeuvre complete 1946 - 1952, p. 8.
64. idem, Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, pp.
65.
122-23.
ibid.
66. B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
pp. 13, 38.
137,
68. idem, Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, p. 255.
69. H i t c h c o c k , A r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 553.
70. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, p. 140.
71. idem, The Chapel a t Ronchamp, pp. 89, 95, 117.
72. idem, New World o f Space, p. 64.
73. Le C o r b u s i e r and Amldee Ozenfant, "Purism," ed. Tim and
C h a r l o t t e Benton w i t h Denis Sharp, Form and F u n c t i o n (London: Crosby
Lockwood S t a p l e s , 1975), pp. 89-90; Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, p. 293.
74. Le C o r b u s i e r , " A r c h i t e c t u r e , The E x p r e s s i o n o f t h e M a t e r i a l and
Methods of Our Times," The A r c h i t e c t u r a l Record 66 (August 1929), p. 123.
75.
ibid.
76. idem, New World o f Space, p. 21.
77. L u c i e n Herve, Le C o r b u s i e r L ' A r t i s t e e t l ' E c r i v a n , I n t r o d u c t i o n
by M a r c e l J o r a y (Neuchatel: E d i t i o n s du G r i f f o n , 1970) pp. 14, 18.
78. idem, New World of Space, p. 21.
79. i b i d . ,
p. 8.
80. idem, Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 19.
81. i b i d . ,
p. 17.
82. idem, Modulor 2, p. 253.
83. H i t c h c o c k , A r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 523.
CHAPTER V
1.
Stirling,
"Ronchamp," pp. 155-161.
2. Thomas C r e i g h t o n , "European D i a r y , " P r o g r e s s i v e A r c h i t e c t u r e
41 (August 1958): 127. T h i s was c o n f i r m e d by t h e w r i t e r a t Ronchamp i n
June 1979.
3. Sven H e s s e l g r e n , The Language o f A r c h i t e c t u r e (Lund: Studentl i t t e r a t e u r , 1967), p. 307. T h i s a l s o was c o n f i r m e d by t h e w r i t e r a t
Ronchamp June 1979.
4.
"a h i l l t o p
c h a p e l , " p. 35.
5. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Modulor: A Harmonious Measure t o the Human
S c a l e U n i v e r s a l l y a p p l i c a b l e t o A r c h i t e c t u r e and Mechanics, t r a n s .
138
P e t e r de F r a n c i a and Anne Bostock (Cambridge: Harvard
1954), pp. 15-17.
6.
idem, Modulor 2, pp.
151-54.
7.
New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a ,
by L.C. Sheppard.
8.
U n i v e r s i t y Press,
1967
i b i d . , Pope P i u s X I I , Mediator
ed. s.v.
D e i , p.
" L i t u r g i c a l Movement,"
64.
9.
No a c o u s t i c a l demands o t h e r than a u d i b i l i t y a r e evidenced i n
the l e t t e r s or the l i t e r a t u r e p u b l i s h e d by the Church or the p a t r o n s .
10. L e s l i e L. D o e l l e , Environmental
H i l l Co., 1972), pp. 103,104.
11.
Acoustics
(New
York: McGraw-
ibid.
12. T h i s i s a s i m p l i f i e d d e f i n i t i o n of the a r c h i t e c t ' s r o l e t h a t
has been d e r i v e d from D o e l l e i n Environmental A c o u s t i c s , pp. 3, 4, 12.
13. C o l l i n s , Concrete,
14.
"a h i l l t o p
p.
c h a p e l , " p.
251.
35.
15. i b i d . , Le C o r b u s i e r to Canet, 12 May
16. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Modulor, pp.
1955,
Fondation
Le
15-17.
17. C o u t u r i e r , "Le C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp," p. 29; C a p e l l a d e s ,
Cocagnac, C o u t u r i e r , Les C h a p e l l e s , pp. 107-108; Cocagnac, L ' A r t Sacre
pp.
3-4.
18. Purdy, "Le C o r b u s i e r and the T h e o l o g i c a l Program," p. 297;
C o r b u s i e r to Canet, 12 May 1955, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
- 1952,
p.
90.
20. idem, New World of Space, p. 14; Le C o r b u s i e r et P i e r r e
Jeanneret, Oeuvre complete 1929 - 1934, p. 24; C o l l i n s , Concrete, p.
pp.
124-37.
Nives,
1910
22. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le Voyage d ' O r i e n t
1966), pp. 73, 74, 76, 78-80.
23. idem, Oeuvre complete 1946
- 1965, pp. 104-109.
24. F e r d i n a n d
1968), p. 196.
- 1952,
Le
-
249.
1934,
(Meaux: Les E d i t i o n s F o r c e s
p.
O u e l l e t e , Edgard Varese (New
194;
idem, Le
York: The
Corbusier
Orion
Press,
139
25. Le C o r b u s i e r to Varese,
21 January 1954,
Fondation
Le
Corbusier,
Paris.
26. Le C o r b u s i e r , Towards a new
a r c h i t e c t u r e , p.
219.
27. T h i s r e f u t e s C h a r l e s Jenck's i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the c h a p e l a t
Ronchamp as an i r o n i c statement. Jencks, Modern Movements, pp. 153,
157.
CHAPTER VI
1.
Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete 1946
- 1952,
p.
88.
2.
Denis Sharp, " I n t r o d u c t i o n " , Form and F u n c t i o n , ed. Tim and
C h a r l o t t e Benton w i t h Denis Sharp, p. x i i , x x i - x x i i .
See a l s o L o u i s
S u l l i v a n , "Ornament i n A r c h i t e c t u r e , " Form and F u n c t i o n , pp. 2-4.
3.
to Walter
N i c o l a u s Pevsner, P i o n e e r s of Modern Design from W i l l i a m M o r r i s
Gropius, r e v . 2nd ed. ( B a l t i m o r e : Penguin Books, 1974), p. 30.
4.
The term " t a y l o r i z e d " i s d e r i v e d from the American F r e d e r i c k
Winslow T a y l o r who i n t r o d u c e d s c i e n t i f i c management i n t o i n d u s t r i a l
manufacture and r a t i o n a l i z e d assemply l i n e p r o d u c t i o n w i t h h i s a n a l y s i s of
how human work i s performed.
S i g f r i e d G i e d i o n , M e c h a n i z a t i o n Takes Command,
a c o n t r i b u t i o n to anonymous h i s t o r y (New York: Oxford U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1948),
pp. 79, 115, 120 520.
Le C o r b u s i e r uses t h i s term f r e q u e n t l y .
Le
C o r b u s i e r , Radiant C i t y , p. 151; idem, L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f d ' a u j o u r d ' h u i
( P a r i s : G. Cres et c i e , 1925), p. 217; Joyce Lowman, "Corb as a s t r u c t u r a l
r a t i o n a l i s t , " The A r c h i t e c t u r a l Review 160 (October 1976): 229-33.
5.
Le C o r b u s i e r , Towards a new
Pevsner, P i o n e e r s , pp. 133-46.
a r c h i t e c t u r e , pp.
13-20, 95-103;
6.
H e n r y - R u s s e l l H i t c h c o c k and P h i l i p p e Johnson, The I n t e r n a t i o n a l
S t y l e and A r c h i t e c t u r e s i n c e 1922 (New York: W.W.
Norton & Co., 1932), p.
7.
Edward Robert de Zurko, O r i g i n s of F u n c t i o n a l i s t Theory
York: Columbia U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1957), pp.
7-8.
(New
8.
Walter Gropius, "Where a r t i s t s and t e c h n i c i a n s meet," ed.
Benton and Sharp, Form and F u n c t i o n , p*. 147.
9.
Le C o r b u s i e r , Towards a new
a r c h i t e c t u r e , p.
24.
Benton,
64.
10. L o u i s S u l l i v a n , " K i n d e r g a r t e n Chats," The L i t e r a t u r e of A r c h i t e c t u r e , ed. Don G i f f o r d (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1966), p.
500.
Vista,
The
11. E. C a s a n e l l e s , A n t o n i Gaudi: A R e a p p r a i s a l
1967), p. 103.
(London: Studio
12. Mary S e k l e r , "Ruskin, The Tree and The Open Hand," ed. Walden,
Open Hand, pp. 61,62; Le C o r b u s i e r , C a t h e d r a l s , p. x v i i i , 3; Le C o r b u s i e r ,
L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , p. 14, 36, 134, 135, 136.
13. John Ruskin, L e c t u r e s on A r c h i t e c t u r e and P a i n t i n g D e l i v e r e d
at Edinburg i n November, 1853, 2nd ed. (London: Smith, E l d e r and Co.,
1855), p. 113.
14.
15.
-Sekler,
New World of Space, p. 20.
" R u s k i n , " pp. 61-69.
16. Le C o r b u s i e r et P i e r r e J e a n n e r e t , Oeuvre complete 1934 - 1938
( Z u r i c h : G i r s b e r g e r , 1945), p. 89.
17. Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f d ' a u j o u r d ' h u i
G. Cres e t c i e , 1932), p. 120.
18.
( P a r i s : Les E d i t i o n s
Benton, Benton and Sharp ed., Form and F u n c t i o n ,
pp. x x i - x x i i ,
69-70.
19. Ruskin, L e c t u r e on A r c h i t e c t u r e and P a i n t i n g , pp. 112-12; K r i s t i n e
O f f e s e n G a r r i g a n , R u s k i n On A r c h i t e c t u r e H i s Thought and I n f l u e n c e
(Madison: The U n i v e r s i t y of W i s c o n s i n P r e s s , 1973), pp. 29-61, 62; Owen
Jones, Grammar of Ornament (London: Bernard Q u a r i t c h , 1910), pp. 1-2, 5-12;
Benton, Benton and Sharp, Form and F u n c t i o n , pp. x x i - x x i i ; Zurko,
F u n c t i o n a l i s t Theory, p. 7. Ruskin's d e s c r i p t i o n s i n t h e Stones o f V e n i c e
b e t r a y h i s g r e a t e r concern f o r ornament and ornamental q u a l i t i e s than f o r
s t r u c t u r e , as does h i s B i b l e o f Amiens. Le C o r b u s i e r read both o f t h e s e
and appears t o have been much impressed w i t h t h e u n d e r l y i n g p r e c e p t s
expressed i n them. Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , pp. 123, 134-35.
20.
Banham, Theory and Design, pp. 14-35.
21.
H i t c h c o c k and Johnson, I n t e r n a t i o n a l S t y l e , p. 13.
22.
Banham, Theory and Design, p. 95.
23. S i g f r i e d G i e d i o n , A r c h i t e c t u r e , you and me.
The d i a r y of a
development (Cambridge: Harvard U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1958), pp. 70-71, 7980, 84-85.
p.
24.
A r c h i t e c t u r e du bonheur, l a c k s
pagination.
25.
Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 64.
26.
idem, L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , pp. 81, 101, 120.
27. Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , pp. 85, 96; idem, Radiant C i t y ,
151; idem, Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 3-19.
28.
Radiant C i t y , p. 151.
29.
idem, Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , pp. 13-20, 95-103.
30.
pp.
ibid.
31. i b i d . ;
1-15.
idem, L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , pp.
86-101; idem, The
Modulor,
32. P a u l Turner, "Romanticism, R a t i o n a l i s m , and the Domino System,"
ed. Walden, The Open Hand, pp. 18-19; Turner, The E d u c a t i o n of Le C o r b u s i e r ,
pp. 4-5; M a x i m i l l i e n G a u t h i e r , Le C o r b u s i e r ou 1 ' a r c h i t e c t u r e au s e r v i c e
de 1'homme ( P a r i s : Les E d i t i o n s Denoel, 1944), pp. 11-20.
33.
S e k l e r , "Ruskin,"
p. 76,
figs.
20,
34.
Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , p.
21,
22; p. 79,
figs.
23,
24.
83.
35. Turner, The E d u c a t i o n of Le C o r b u s i e r , pp.
C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , p. 137.
7,
118-20; Le
36. The e f f e c t s of t h i s t r i p a r e d i s c u s s e d by Turner, The E d u c a t i o n
of Le C o r b u s i e r , pp. 120-21. They a r e a l s o e v i d e n t i n L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f ,
p. 96.
37. Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , pp.
38.
Co.,
Bahham, Theory and Design,
206-13,
39. J o o s t B a l j e u , Theo van Doesburg (New
Inc., 1974), p. 64.
40.
Banham, Theory and Design,
41. Jordy,
42.
"The
pp.
323,
Symbolic Essence," p.
122,
137,
144.
215.
York: M a c m i l l a n
Publishing
325.
100.
ibid.
p.
pp.
85,
D e i , p. 63;
0'Connell,
Church B u i l d i n g ,
30.
44. Turner, The E d u c a t i o n
Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , pp.
of Le C o r b u s i e r , pp.
72, 75, 153,
159.
120-21; Le
Corbusier,
45. " P i e r r e de l a C h a p e l l e de Notre-Dame-du-Haut a Ronchamp,"
(Manuscript) 25 March 1954, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
46. Rogers, " I I metodo d i Le C o r b u s i e r , " p.
17.
47. Le C o r b u s i e r , C a t h e d r a l s , pp. 6, 13, 37.
S i g n i f i c a n t l y , Le
C o r b u s i e r had done a s p e c i a l study of c a t h e d r a l p o r t a l s i n the e a r l y
1920s and 1930s. Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f , p. 202.
48. Conant, C a r o l i n g i a n and Romanesque A r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 99; A.
K i n g s l e y P o r t e r , Romanesque S c u p l t u r e of the P i l g r i m a g e Roads I (Boston:
M a r s h a l l Jones Company, 1923), pp. 171, 173-74, 180-82, 187-93, 196.
142
49. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Modulor, p.
Fondation Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
142;
" P i e r r e de l a C h a p e l l e , "
50. Rogers, " I I metodo de Le C o r b u s i e r , " p. 17;
C h a p e l l e , " F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
51. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Modulor, p.
52.
idem, The
" P i e r r e de l a
140.
118.
53. i b i d . , p. 126; idem, Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, p. 121;
Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, p. 256.
54.
idem, Oeuvre complete 1946
- 1952,
p.
idem,
88.
55. idem, Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, pp. 301, 305, 306, 309. By e n l a r ging the expansion j o i n t s to c r e a t e b l a c k , shadowed l i n e s , Le C o r b u s i e r
n e a t l y e n c i s e d forms s i m i l i a r to those found d e f t l y encased i n b l a c k
lines i n his painting.
56.
idem, Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, pp.
71,
82.
57. B o l l e - R e d d a t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p. 17; Le C o r b u s i e r ,
C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, p. 256.
58. Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete 1946 - 1952,
de C o u l e u r s , 1935, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r , P a r i s .
l;.M-
Way.
Versostko.
1967
ed.
s.v.
p. 88;
Le
idem, C l a v i e r s
" L i t u r g i c a l A r t , " by
60. i b i d . ; O'Connell,Church B u i l d i n g and F u r n i s h i n g : The Church's
A Study i n L i t u r g i c a l Law
(London: Burns & Oates, 1955), p. 57.
61.
0'Connell,Church B u i l d i n g , p.
62.
Regamey, " L ' e s p r i t et l e s p r i n c i p e s , " p.
63.
i b i d . , pp.
64.
ibid.,
p.
57.
3.
5-6.
6.
65. M a r c e l F e r r y to the w r i t e r , 25 June 1978,
66.
ibid.
67.
Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t , pp.
71,
Vancouver.
118-125.
25.
69. Y r j o H i m , The Sacred S h r i n e . A study of the p o e t r y and a r t of
the C a t h o l i c Church, 3rd ed. (Boston: Beacon P r e s s , 1957), pp. 443, 466,
467.
143
70.
ibid.,
p.
465.
71.
i b i d . , p.
466.
72.
i b i d . , p.
465.
73. The j e w e l i s a m o t i f o f t e n a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the V i r g i n .
Hirn,
Sacred S h r i n e , p. 437.
I t i s so used i n C l a u d e l ' s Annonce f a i t e a M a r i e .
A diamond shape i s found p a i n t e d on one n o r t h e a s t window.
74. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Chapel at Ronchamp, pp. 130-35. For a d i s c u s s i o n
of the t h e o l o g i c a l q u e s t i o n s then b e i n g posed w i t h r e s p e c t to the r e l a t i o n s h i p of Mary w i t h i n the Roman C a t h o l i c Church see Ren£ L a u r e n t i n ,
Mary's P l a c e i n the Church, t r a n s . E d i t i o n s du S e u i l (London: Burnes &
Oates, 1965), pp.
9-28.
to F e r r y , 8 A p r i l
1957,
B e l o t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, pp.
4-5.
Fondation
Le
Corbusier,
Paris.
76.
pp.
1910
78. C o u t u r i e r , Dieu et l ' a r t , pp.
60-61.
- 1965,
205
p.
256.
- 19; P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s ,
79. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, p. 89; idem, The
Nursery Schools, t r a n s , by E l e a n o r L e v i e u x (New York: The O r i o n P r e s s ,
1968), pp. 41, 42.
Nor should Le C o r b u s i e r ' s p r o p o s a l to use c o l o u r e d
panes of g l a s s i n the r e c o n s t r u c t i o n of the S t . Die church be f o r g o t t e n ,
see f o o t n o t e 62, Chapter IV.
80. F i s c h e 7606 ( c . 19 May
81.
C o u t u r i e r , Dieu
1955), F o n d a t i o n
et l ' a r t , pp.
207-08,
Paris.
209.
82. Eduord C o r r o y e r , L ' A r c h i t e c t u r e Romane ( P a r i s : A l c i d e P i c a r d ,
1891), p. 49.
T h i s r e f e r e n c e i s used because i t i s known t h a t Le C o r b u s i e r
read i t . Turner, The E d u c a t i o n of Le C o r b u s i e r , pp. 50-51; P a u l T h i r y ,
R i c h a r d M. Bennet and Henry L. Kamphoefner, Churches and Temples (New York:
R e i n h o l d P u b l i s h i n g Corp., 1953), p. 10c.
83. "Le langage des couleurs , "L'Art Sacre 7-8 (Mars - A v r i l
T h i r y , Bennet and Kamphoefner, Churches and Temples, p. 10c.
;
18;
84.
;
Le C o r b u s i e r , C a t h e d r a l s , pp.
102,
151,
1963):
165.
85. John Bourke, Baroque Churches of C e n t r a l Europe (London: Faber
and Faber, 1958), p. 267; T h i r y , Bennett and Kamphoefner, Churches
and Temples, p. 10c.
86. Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t , p. f a c i n g
120.
144
87.
L a u r e n t i n , Mary's P l a c e , pp.
Devotion t o , " by E.R. C a r r o l l .
9-11.
1967 ed. s.v. "Mary, B l e s s e d
89.
C a s a n e l l e s , Gaudi, pp.
90.
Rogers, " I I metodo d i Le C o r b u s i e r , " pp. 24-25.
91.
ibid.
92.
Virgin,
97-103.
93. idem, The Modulor, pp. 169; idem, Modulor 2, pp. 53, 55, 116,
150, 151, 157.
94.
idem, P r e c i s i o n s , pp.
142-43.
95.
idem, Oeuvre complete 1946 - 1952, p. 110.
96.
G a u t h i e r , Le C o r b u s i e r , pp. 87-88.
97.
Le C o r b u s i e r , P r e c i s i o n s , p. 5.
98.
idem, Radiant C i t y , p. 15; idem, "Le Poeme de .1'angle, d r o i t . "
L ' a r c h i t e c t u r e du bbnheur, l a c k s p a g i n a t i o n .
99.
Le C o r b u s i e r and J e a n n e r e t ,
Oeuvre complete 1938 - 1946, pp.
10-11.
101. S e k l e r , "Ruskin,"
102. B o l l ^ - R e d d a t ,
pp.
1910 - 1965, pp. 217, 226.
p. 76, f i g s .
20, 21, 22.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
103. Le C o r b u s i e r and Jeanneret,
103-108.
p. 20.
Oeuvre complete 1938 - 1946,
104. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Modulor, pp. 51, 64; idem, Le C o r b u s i e r
1910 - 1965, pp. 22, 34.
105. idem, C a t h e d r a l s , p. 5; idem, Le C o r b u s i e r
1910 - 1965, p.
305.
1910 - 1965, pp. 278,
107. idem, Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 159.
108. idem, C a t h e d r a l s , pp. x v i i i , x i x
109. idem, The Modulor, p. 51.
173.
110. idem, C a t h e d r a l s , pp. x i x , 202; idem, Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 8.
111. idem, C a t h e d r a l s , pp. x v i i i ,
x i x , 31, 146, 173, 176, 205.
1910 - 1965, p. 256.
113. idem, C a t h e d r a l s , p. x v i i i .
114. B o l l e - R e d d a t ,
115.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
p. 20.
ibid.
117. F i s c h e 7465 (1 June 1957) F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Paris.
118. New C a t h o l i c E n c y c l o p e d i a , 1967 ed. s.v. " T a b e r n a c l e , "
O'Connell; H i r n , Sacred S h r i n e , pp. 151-68.
s.v. " T a b e r n a c l e , "
120. Le C o r b u s i e r t o F e r r y , 8 A v r i l
by J.B.
by J.B. O'Connell
1957, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Paris.
N
A.
122. P e t i t , Le C o r b u s i e r Lui-Meme, pp. 118-119.
123. B e l o t , No\re-Dame-du-Haut, F o n d a t i o n Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Paris.
124. Le Corbusier,"Le-Poem© de l ' a n g l e d r o i t , " l a c k s p a g i n a t i o n .
125. idem, The Chapel a t Ronchamp, p
1910 - 1965, p. 55.
127. idem, C a t h e d r a l s , p. 93.
128. Zurko, F u n c t i o n a l i s t Theory, p. 132.
129. The analogy^between t h e Church e d i f i c e and t h e a r k i s common:
i t was o f t e n made t o Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
I t was a l s o used f o r Notre-Damedu-Raincy. American A r c h i t e c t 126 (10 September 1924): 249-52.
130. Le C o r b u s i e r , C a t h e d r a l s , p. 93.
131. Le C o r b u s i e r , A i r c r a f t
(London: The S t u d i o , 1935), pp. 5, 6, 13
132. Mgr. Dubois, "Response au d i s c o u r s de Le C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp,"
L ' A r t Sacre 1-2 (Septembre-Octobre 1955):25.
146
CHAPTER V I I
1.
C o u t u r i e r , "Le C o r b u s i e r , Ronchamp," pp. 29-31; Cocagnac,
L ' A r t Sacre, pp. 3-11; C a p e l l a d e s , CocSgnac and C o u t u r i e r , Les C h a p e l l e s ,
pp. 108-109; B o l l e - R e d d a t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, pp. 17-19; Boll£-Reddat,
J o u r n a l 15:16.
2.
Pere C o u t u r i e r f o c u s e s h i s a t t e n t i o n on s u b j e c t matter and
f i g u r e s t y l e , he does not i s o l a t e l i g h t as a preeminent symbolic element.
He does express some response to the g e n e r a l ambiance of l i g h t , however.
C o u t u r i e r , D i e u e t l ' a r t , pp. 207, 211.
Pere Regamey does not emphasise
the symbolic f u n c t i o n of l i g h t i n h i s w r i t i n g although he does a s s o c i a t e
dim l i g h t w i t h peace and m e d i t a t i o n .
P.-R.
Re'gamey, "La B a s i l i q u e des
T r o i s Ave a B l o i s , " L ' A r t Sacre 1-2 (Septembre-Octobre 1949): 22.
3.
P e r r e t g i v e s much g r e a t e r emphasis to s t r u c t u r e and
than he does to l i g h t a t Notre-Dame-du-Raincy i n h i s comments
church.
Hammond g i v e s much g r e a t e r emphasis to the p l a n than
a t t r i b u t e s great symbolic v a l u e to the p l a n because he f e l t i
a response to new l i t u r g i c a l concerns.
Hammond, L i t u r g y , pp.
materials
about the
to l i g h t .
t indicated
83-90.
He
4.
Le C o r b u s i e r , Radiant C i t y , p. 47.
The concern w i t h s i t i n g
and o r i e n t a t i o n f o r maximum sun p e n e t r a t i o n i n t o i n t e r i o r s v i a a south
exposure i s a f u n c t i o n a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n found i n the work of A l v a r A a l t o ,
and to a l e s s e r extent i n the work of B. Taut and G r o p i u s , among o t h e r s .
The concern w i t h maximizing n a t u r a l i n t e r i o r i l l u m i n a t i o n i n the l a s t
decades of the n i n e t e e n t h century and the f i r s t h a l f of the t w e n t i e t h
century was prompted by commercial, economic, and h e a l t h demands.
This
pragmatic (and programmatic)concern f o r l i g h t by G r o p i u s , A a l t o , and
o t h e r s d i f f e r e n t i a t e s i t from Le C o r b u s i e r ' s approach to l i g h t a t N o t r e Dame-du-Haut. P a u l Sheerbart i s perhaps the most prominent t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y a r c h i t e c t concerned w i t h the p o e t i c and f u n c t i o n a l a s p e c t s of
light.
Yet he r e a l i z e d v e r y l i t t l e of h i s i d e a s .
5.
C o l l i n s , Concrete, p. 243.
However, t h i s l i g h t scheme p r o b a b l y
o r i g i n a t e d w i t h Maurice Denice who was a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the p r o j e c t .
6.
P i c h a r d , E g l i s e s N o u v e l l e s , p.
A r c h i t e c t u r e i n Germany, pp. 40-41, f i g s .
7.
s
Pichard, E g l i s e s Nouvelles,
8.
C o u t u r i e r , Se Garder L i b r e , pp.
pp.
23,
21,
f i g s . 17-19; S c h n e l l , Church
26-29.
22-23, f i g s .
42,
14,15.
48.
9.
Pere C o u t u r i e r does not mention P e r r e t ' s l i g h t i n g achievements
at Nc^tre-Dame-du-Raincy, a l t h o u g h he does mention P e r r e t .
Couturier,
Se Garder L i b r e , pp. 51, 60.
Pere Regamey mentions P e r r e t ' s use of modern
techniques and b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s but not h i s use of l i g h t .
Regamey,
R e l i g i o u s A r t , pp. 224,
247.
11.
Sigffied
A r t , f i g . 51.
G i e d i o n , n i n Space, Time and
A r c h i t e c t u r e , and
Talbot
147
Hamlin i n Form and F u n c t i o n i n T w e n t i e t h Century A r c h i t e c t u r e , 4 v o l s . , do
not i s o l a t e l i g h t f o r s p e c i a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n ; i n c o n t r a s t , space i s extens i v e l y d i s c u s s e d by G i e d i o n and c o l o u r and rhythm i s d i s c u s s e d by Hamlin.
The Glass Chain group of a r c h i t e c t s , the E x p r e s s i o n i s t s g e n e r a l l y , and
Bruno Taut e s p e c i a l l y , d i d e x p l o r e the e x p r e s s i v e p o t e n t i a l s of l i g h t i n
the 1920s. However, modern m a t e r i a l s and the a b s t r a c t q u a l i t i e s of t r a n s parency r e c e i v e d e q u a l , i f not more, a t t e n t i o n . See P a u l Sheerbart,
G l a s s ; A r c h i t e c t u r e , t r a n s . S h i r l e y P a l i m e r and Bruno Taut, A l p i n e A r c h i t e c t u r e , ed. Denis Sharp (New York: Praeger P u b l i s h e r s , 1972), pp.
8-14,
42, 51, 52, 54-56, 59, 64-66, 72-73, 121-122.
pp.
12. C o u t u r i e r , Se Garder L i b r e , pp. 70, 83; idem, " R e l i g i o u s A r t , "
268-272; idem, "Note by Pere C o u t u r i e r , " pp. 30, 31.
13. "La Lumiere de 1 ' E g l i s e , " L ' A r t
1057): 14-16.
Sacre 1-2
14. Canon Ledeur, " C o n s e i l s f r a t e r n e l s , " L ' A r t
F e v r i e r 1951): 15-17.
L'Art
Ave
(Septembre-Octobre
Sacre 5-6
(Janvier-
15. "La Lumiere de l ' E g l i s e , " p. 11; " P r e s c r i p t i o n s canoniques,"
Sacre 1-2 (Septembre-Octobre 1957):23.
16.
" P r e s c r i p t i o n s canoniques," p.
17.
ibid.
18.
ibid.
23.
19. "La Lumiere de l ' E g l i s e , " p. 8; Regamey, "La B a s i l i q u e des
a B l o i s , " p. 22.
20.
Pope P i u s X I I , M e d i a t o r D e i , p.
21.
ibid.
Trois
66.
109-114; "La Lumiere de l ' E g l i s e , " pp.
14-
16.
23. P a u l C l a u d e l , " T i d i n g s Brought to Mary," ed. S. M a r i o n Zucker,
Modern C o n t i n e n t a l P l a y s (New York: Harper and B r o t h e r s P u b l i s h e r s , 1929),
pp. 209-55.
24.
C l a u d e l , " T i d i n g s Brought to Mary," pp.
25.
27. Le C o r b u s i e r ,
28.
The Modulor, pp.
209,
225,
240.
221-22.
to Canon Ledeur, 28 J u i n 1955,
Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, p.
Jencks, Modern Movements, p.
210,
157.
39.
F o n d a t i o n Le
148
29. Monalte, La B a s i l i q u e , l a c k s p a g i n a t i o n .
30. P a u l C l a u d e l , P o s i t i o n s et P r o p o s i t i o n s ( D i j o n : L i b r a i r i e
G a l l i m a r d , 1934), pp. 231, 233, 237.
31. M o n t a l t e ,
32.
La B a s i l i q u e , l a c k s p a g i n a t i o n .
S e k l e r , "Ruskin,"
p.
58.
33. These p l a n s were f u r n i s h e d by the F o n d a t i o n
Paris.
34. Le C o r b u s i e r ' s s e n s i t i v i t y to both the h o r i z o n t a l and v e r t i c a l
movement of the sun i s evidenced i n h i s many diagrams showing the r e l a t i o n s h i p between the sun's movement, l a t i t u d e , and the r e s u l t i n g i n terior illumination.
Le C o r b u s i e r and P i e r r e Jeanneret, Oeuvre complete
1938 - 1946, pp. 104,
106.
35. New
du Haut."
Catholic Encyclopedia,
1967
ed. s.v.
"Ronchamp, Notre-Dame
- 1952,
p.
97.
37. The o t h e r m o d i f i c a t i o n s i n c l u d e the decrease i n the number
of c o n f e s s i o n a l s from t h r e e to one (with one more p o r t a b l e ) , the r e o r i e n t i n g of the r o o f s l o p e from the n o r t h to the west and the consequent
r e l o c a t i o n of the c i s t e r n i n the west, and the changes made to the e x t e r i or exposed column i n the east t h a t became e n c l o s e d i n a w a l l and made i n t o
an e x t e r i o r s a c r i s t y .
38. For the importance of l i g h t i n Le C o r b u s i e r ' s a r c h i t e c t u r a l
theory see f o o t n o t e 31 above. H i s p r o j e c t s f o r A l g i e r s and Dr. C u r r e t t chet's house at La P l a t a , A r g e n t i n a show the extent t o which he d i s t o r t e d
facades i n order to accommodate n a t u r a l l i g h t i n g o b j e c t i v e s . Le C o r b u s i e r ,
Oeuvre complete 1910 - 1965, pp. 327, 82-85. The s i g n i f i c a n c e Le C o r b u s i e r
a t t r i b u t e d to l i g h t i s e x e m p l i f i e d i n h i s Radiant C i t y , p. 47.
Light i s
g i v e n p o e t i c form i n h i s poem p u b l i s h e d i n The Chapel at Ronchamp, p. 27.
H i s s p i r i t u a l response to l i g h t i s e x e m p l i f i e d i n h i s Voyage d ' O r i e n t ,
pp. 66, 72, 76-79; L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f d ' a u j o u r d ' h u i , p. 198, and the 1907
c h a p e l at La Chaux-de-Fonds. S e k l e r , "Ruskin," p. 58, f i g . 17.
p.
39. Le C o r b u s i e r et P i e r r e J e a n n e r e t ,
103.
41.
i b i d . , pp.
42.
i b i d . , p.
78,
85,
- .1946,
86.
104.
47.
43. Benton, Benton and
p.
C i t y , p.
Sharp, Form arid F u n c t i o n , pp.
44. Le C o r b u s i e r , Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, p.
156.
11;
xxi-xxiii,
Stirling,
"Ronchamp,"
149
45. T h i s s i g n was used on numerous o c c a s i o n s and i n s e v e r a l d i f f e r ent c o n t e x t s . Le C o r b u s i e r , Oeuvre complete 1946 - 1952, p. 149; idem,
C a t h e d r a l s , pp. x v i i i , 171, 176; idem, C r e a t i o n , p. 305.
46. Le C o r b u s i e r , Radiant C i t y , p.
104.
47. Although Vers une a r c h i t e c t u r e (1923) i s most o f t e n c h a r a c t e r i s e d as a m a n i f e s t o a d v o c a t i n g t e c h n o l o g y and m e c h a n i z a t i o n , r e f e r e n c e s
to l i g h t a r e a l s o f r e q u e n t . Statements s u p p o r t i n g a t e c h n o l o g i c a l viewp o i n t a r e b a l a n c e d w i t h statements a d v o c a t i n g an a r c h i t e c t u r e based on
p l a s t i c emotion.
I t a l s o c o n t a i n s h i s statement: " A r c h i t e c t u r e i s the
m a s t e r l y , c o r r e c t and m a g n i f i c e n t p l a y of masses brought t o g e t h e r i n l i g h t .
Le C o r b u s i e r , Towards a new a r c h i t e c t u r e , p. 29.
48. Le C o r b u s i e r and P i e r r e J e a n n e r e t , Oeuvre complete
p.
1910
-
1929,
60.
49. i b i d . ,
p.
64.
50. B o l l e - R e d d a t , J o u r n a l , 55:11.
51. Robert S t o l l , Ronchamp ( P a r i s : D e s c l e e de Brouwer, c. 1958),
pp.
6,7.
52. Le C o r b u s i e r , The Chapel a t Ronchamp, p.
53. B o l l e - R e d d a t , Notre-Dame-du-Haut, pp.
E n c y c l o p e d i a , "Ronchamp, Notre-Dame dii Haut."
103.
14-15,17; New
Catholic
54. Banham, Theory and Design, p. 217.
North l i g h t i s the
p r e f e r r e d by a r t i s t s due to i t s g e n e r a l day-long c o n s i s t e n c y .
light
55. These can be seen reproduced i n Le L i v r e de Ronchamp, pages
46 and 96.
Although t h e s e may have been temporary l i g h t s added t o enhance
the photographs, B o l l e - R e d d a t does s t a t e t h a t some l i g h t s were added i n
1956 and s t i l l more i n 1968.
B o l l e - R e d d a t , J o u r n a l , 56:11.
56. T h i s i s e x e m p l i f i e d by the concepts ' a c t i o ' and ' m e d i t a t i o ' used
by S t o l l i n h i s book Ronchamp i n r e f e r e n c e to the Church and Notre-Damedu-Haut, Ronchamp. S t o l l , Ronchamp, p. 3.
The i d e a t h a t the Church s h o u l d
be both a p l a c e of c e l e b r a t i o n and of m e d i t a t i o n appears i n the w r i t i n g
of both Pere Regamey, Pere C o u t u r i e r and Pope P i u s X I I ' s M e d i a t o r D e l ,
pp. 45, 46.
57. H.H. .Arnason, H i s t o r y of Modern A r t (New
Abrams Inc., 1968), p. 215.
York: Harry
N.
58. Le C o r b u s i e r et J e a n n e r e t , Oeuvre complete 1910 - 1929, pp.
86, 91; Le C o r b u s i e r , Le C o r b u s i e r 1910 - 1965, pp. 34, 58; idem, Oeuvre
complete 1946 - 1952, pp. 70-72; Boudin, Pessac, p. 10.
59. Regamey, "Note sur 1 ' O r i e n t a t i o n , " L ' A r t Sacre 1 (1946): 29-30;
Bardet, " L ' E g l i s e dans l a c i t e , " pp. 19-28.
150
60. Rubin, Modern Sacred A r t , pp. 62, 62.
The i d e a of t e n s i o n i s
v e r y important to Le C o r b u s i e r p h i l o s o p h i c a l l y and, as Notre-Dame-du-Haut
demonstrates, a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y .
Le C o r b u s i e r f e l t t h a t man l i v e d i n a
s t a t e of t e n s i o n w i t h n a t u r e .
He s t a t e d "man must s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t n a t u r e
to s u r v i v e . . . . Happiness i s not a r e a l i t y , i t i s a f i c t i o n , i t i s a
r e l a t i o n , a tension.
I t i s a f o r c e drawing i t s energy from one t h i n g - a
t h i n g t h a t i s i n us, and t h e r e f o r e s u b j e c t to change - and d i r e c t e d t o wards another which i s a c o n t i n g e n t and t h e r e f o r e l i k e w i s e to change".
Le C o r b u s i e r , Radiant C i t y , p. 83.
61. S t o l l , Ronchamp, f i g s . 15, 19, 35.
In h i s next church p r o j e c t
at F i r m i n y , 1961, Le C o r b u s i e r i n d i c a t e d i n h i s sketches t h a t he i n t e n d e d
to focus the sun's r a y s over the a l t a r on E a s t e r morning.
In 1960 Le
C o r b u s i e r showed an i n t e r e s t i n the way i n which 'the cosmic hours' were
i n c o r p o r a t e d i n church l i g h t i n g schemes i n the p a s t .
He mentions Santa
Sophia, C o n s t a n t i n o p l e and Stonehenge. Kidder-Smith, The c r e a t i v e method
of Le C o r b u s i e r at F i r m i n y (Harvard: M.I.T. P r e s s , 1965). In 1961 Le
C o r b u s i e r had r e f e r r e d back to h i s 1936 sketchbook which c o n t a i n e d a
s k e t c h of the l i g h t e f f e c t s of Santa Sophia.
I t may be t h a t h i s renewed
i n t e r e s t i n Santa Sophia o r i g i n a t e d w i t h Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp,
f o r t h e r e i s a s t r o n g r e l a t i o n s h i p between the 1936 s k e t c h and the south
w a l l at Ronchamp. A l s o Le C o r b u s i e r was i n the p r o c e s s of r e v i e w i n g h i s
e a r l i e r sketchbooks a t the time of the Ronchamp commission, as h i s r e c a l l i n g of Hadrian's v i l l a demonstrates.
62.
Bolle-Reddat,
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p.
22.
64. S t i r l i n g , "Ronchamp," p.
Les C h a p e l l e s , p. 103.
a r c h i t e c t u r e , pp. 5-7, 16-17.
161.
Capellades,
C i t y , pp.
28,
37;
66. N i k o l a u s Pevsner, High V i c t o r i a n Design
t u r a l P r e s s , 1951), p. 16.
67. Le C o r b u s i e r , Voyage, pp.
153-54; idem, C r e a t i o n , pp. 30, 31,
120.
Coca-gnac, C o u t u r i e r ,
idem, Towards a
(London: The A r c h i t e c -
55, 56-57, 66-67, 72,
33-35.
78,
CHAPTER V I I I
1.
Le C o r b u s i e r , L ' a r t d e c o r a t i f d ' a u j o u r d ' h u i ,
2.
ibid.,
3.
C o u t u r i e r , Dieu et l ' a r t , pp.
4.
C o u t u r i e r , "Ronchamp," p.
p.
p.
120.
31.
46,
61,
new
102-109.
211-
125-27,
15!
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13 March 1951.
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Le
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3 July
1952.
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Paris.
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Fondation
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Fondation
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Paris.
Fondation
Le
Paris.
Corbusier.
Paris.
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1951.
Fondation
Paris.
. To G i s c l o n
22 March 1954.
Fondation
. To G i s c l o n
25 March 1954.
Fondation
Paris.
. To Canon Ledeur 19 A p r i l
1951.
Fondation
Paris.
. To Canon Ledeur 25 A p r i l
1955.
Fondation
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Ledeur, Canon.
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Fondation
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14 January 1951.
14 A p r i l
1951.
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1951.
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1951.
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Le
OTHER
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F i g . 2.
Sainte Odile, plan
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Lourdes,
site
165
f i g . 5.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, c. 1936, g e n e r a l v i e w
f i g . 6.
S a i n t e - T h e r e s e de l ' E n f a n t ,
p l a n , p r o j e c t c. 1932
V
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169
Fig.
11.
Le C o r b u s i e r : s k e t c h e s , 20 May
r u i n e d c h a p e l and l a t e r
1950, of the
sketches of h i s maquette
w i t h the s i t e dated 9 June
1950
montaged
171
Fig.
14.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, e x t e r i o r , west
F i g . 16.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, war memorial
pyramid
173
Fig.
18.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, c e r e m o n i a l door,
interior'
Fig.
19.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, i n t e r i o r ,
south w a l l
F i g . 20.
cross-section,
Notre-Dame-du-Haut,
looking
north
F i g . 21.
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c
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Le C o r b u s i e r : s c u l p t u r e
r
F i g . 28.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, i n t e r i o r
windows, n o r t h e a s t
corner
wmwmm
Fig.
30.
Notre-Dame-du-
Haut, d e d i c a t i o n s t o n e , w i t h
modulor-scaled
1
A
F i g . 31.
Notre-Dame-
du-Haut, d e d i c a t i o n
detail,
stone,
i n s c r i p t i o n and
walled r e c e p t i c
documents, west
f o r church
cavity,
south
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Ferdinand Lclger: The V i r g i n of the N a t i v i t y ,
mosaic
Fig. 33.
Le Corbusier: "jeu de s o l e i l " diagram
183
Fig. 34.
Le Corbusier: sketch
F i g . 35.
Le Corbusier: lithograph
F i g . 36.
Dominican I m p e r i a l Monastery,
I s l a n d of H i s p a n o l a ,
d e t a i l of dome
185
F i g . 38.
F i g . 39.
south w a l l
No*tre-Dame-du-Haut, t a b e r n a c l e , back
186
F i g . 41.
eclairage
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, p l a n marked
F i g . 42.
Dominican I m p e r i a l Monastery, I s l a n d o f
Hispanola, d e t a i l
F i g . 43.
detail
Jean L u r c a t :
The A p o c a l y p s e ,
189
Fig. 45.
Notre-Dame-du-Haut, e x t e r i o r , a l t a r
wall

A STUDY OF LE CORBUSIER`S NOTRE-DAME-DU

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