La Tourette
September 30, 2022
Sainte Marie de La Tourette is a priory of the Dominican order, situated on a hillside near Lyon, France. It was designed by the architect Le Corbusier and completed in 1961 - his final work. Experientially, the building compares to Ronchamp Chapel, in that the initial approach is apparently barred by an opaque wall that turns out to conceal light sources that mark the completion of a progression to the main chapel. However, this structure is set above the landscape, rather than welded into it, which makes it all the more remarkable that it seems perfectly comfortable in its situation.
