996_FT_20180317 Notre Dame du Haut

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In the commune of Ronchamp, nestled southward from Paris, stands an iconic project of Le Corbusier's remarkable career, Notre Dame du Ronchamp, commonly known simply as Ronchamp. In 1950, Le Corbusier received a commission to design a new Catholic church that would replace the one destroyed during World War II. The site of Ronchamp has a long history as a sacred pilgrimage destination deeply rooted in Catholic tradition, but after World War II, the church sought a pristine space devoid of excessive ornamentation and elaborate religious figures unlike its predecessors. Ronchamp is deceptively modern, defying its categorization within Corbusier's aesthetic or even that of the International Style; instead, it sits on the site as a sculptural masterpiece. The inability to categorize Ronchamp has solidified its position as one of the most influential religious buildings of the 20th Century, as well as a defining moment in Corbusier's career.