#eveux

Convent Sainte-Marie de La Tourette Éveux, Rhône-Alpes, France; 1958-60

Le Corbusier (photographs by René Burri; Fritz Maurer)

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Le Corbusier: Convent of La Tourette, Eveux; 1960

The Convent of La Tourette is Le Corbusier's final building completed in Europe, and is also thought by many to be his most unique program. It was built to be a self-contained world for a community of silent monks, and to accommodate the unique and specific lifestyle of the monks, the monastery is made of one hundred individual cells, a communal library, a refectory, a rooftop cloister, a church, and classrooms.

The one request to the architect by Father Marie-Alain Couturier was that he "create a silent dwelling for one hundred bodies and one hundred hearts."

The architecture of Le Corbusier is distinguishable for its five key elements, which are present in the late Modernist style of the Convent of La Tourette.

The more obvious of these in this specific project are the pilotis, or load-bearing columns, which line the inside walls and open the facade to long strip windows. The classic grass rooftops create an architectural promenade, relating back to the Villa Savoye, although the context of the convent is very different than of the residence.

The site was specifically chosen by Corbusier, as he was drawn to the steeply sloping bank with powerful views. Every one of the hundred cells features an outward-facing balcony, with communal areas underneath and the cloister running around the roof. The structural form of the building is reinforced concrete, with undulating glass surfaces located on three of the four exterior faces.

Built as a Chapel, residence and place of learning for Dominican friars, the monastery groups around a central courtyard a U-shaped mass, and the court is closed off by the chapel at the end.

The intention of architect Le Corbusier was "to give the monks what men today need most: silence and peace... This Monastery does not show off; it is on the inside that it lives." Although this was ultimately achieved, there were still reservations about the size of some of the cells, as well as the soundproofing and acoustics. Maintenance issues are still very prevalent today, with cracking concrete, defective insulation, and dangerously installed electricity.