RONCHAMP / VENCE

Les Chapelles Du Rosaire À Vence par Matisse et De Notre-Dame-Du-Haut À Ronchamp par Le Corbusier.

Both were built in the aftermath of WWII.

Le Corbusier’s ‘Our Lady of the Heights’ was built on the site of the original 4th century chapel destroyed in the war and uses the original load bearing stones left in ruin. The walls are up to 10 feet thick and deep-set with panes of clear and coloured glass. Rainwater collects in a dip in the roof and pours through a gargoyle into a pool below.

Matisse’s chapel was built during the period in which he left Nice for Vence to escape Allied bombing. The nurse that had cared for him during the years he spent recovering from cancer was now Sister Jacques Marie, a nun at the Dominican convent in Vence. It was through this connection that he collaborated with the Dominican order and the chapel was built. It is painted white, with stained glass in blue, green and yellow. Matisse also designed vestments - the paper cutout maquettes for which are included in this book.

Wonderful photography throughout + text in French. 1955.