The Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut

Located in Ronchamp, Haute Saône, on Bourlémont hill, the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut (meaning "Our Lady of the Heights") has been a listed Historic Monument since 1967 and is the work of the famous architect Le Corbusier. Erected in 1955 on the former site of a chapel, it overlooks the town of Ronchamp.

The world-famous Notre-Dame du Haut revolutionised 20th-century religious architecture. Contemporary in style, the chapel consists of a two-part concrete shell with curved lines, beneath a roof that does not touch the shell. This surprising architecture is complemented by a skilful dosage of light, which enters through the gap left between the ceiling and the concrete walls, and by the colour effects of the stained glass windows. The whole building is conducive to contemplation: in fact, the chapel is an important place of pilgrimage for the Feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September, the Ascension and the Assumption.

Access is via the last path coming out of the forest, adding to the solemnity and beauty of this building, which is perfectly integrated into the landscape.

A splendid example of religious art, the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut recently benefited from improvements by the architect Renzo Piano and the landscape architect Michel Corajoud, to make it easier to welcome visitors.