The 'New Type of Church': From Le Corbusier's Church at Firminy

Abstract

Le Corbusier’s Church at Firminy, originally conceived in 1963, but only constructed in 2006, was discussed at a wide scale for its architectural achievement. Nevertheless, questions concerning the relationship between the Church at Firminy and the theories that Le Corbusier formulated after WWII, as well as with his other previous religious buildings, still remain. The questions can be grouped together under a single theme: the singularity of the Church at Firminy. This article considers the Church at Firminy as a theoretical object, and aims to understand Le Corbusier’s stream of consciousness through a study of architectural form. After considering the problem of Singularity, the analysis proceeds with regard to the following concepts: Visual Stimulus, Ecstasy, Box of Miracles, From the Site and Paradoxes. In fact, the Church at Firminy can be understood as the strategy of paradoxes related to a singular phenomenon of the Box of Miracles, i.e. a floating Box of Miracles. The Church at Firminy’s exceptional and exclusive aspects appear as a new type of religious building, distinguished from the Chapel of Ronchamp and the Monastery of La Tourette.​