Le Corbusier’s snowy-white Notre Dame du Haut church was built on the crest of a hill in 1955 on the site of a pilgrimage chapel destroyed during World War II. “Here we will build a monument dedicated to nature and we will make it our lives’ purpose,” said the architect.
Constructed mainly of reinforced concrete, with thick walls punctuated by irregular stained-glass windows, the curvaceous building is topped by an upturned roof resembling a billowing sail. Among its quirky details is an outdoor pulpit, used during open-air services.