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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Sainte-Marie de La Tourette convent, located in Éveux in the Rhône, is a major achievement of architect Le Corbusier, built between 1953 and 1960. The project, commissioned by the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) to replace their Chambéry study centre, was born out of the wish of Reverend Father Couturier to bring the community closer to Lyon. The site, formerly owned by the Claret de La Tourrette family, was acquired in 1943. The Corbusier applies its five points of modern architecture and the Modulor, with the help of Fernand Gardien and d-Iannis Xenakis, who designs the undulating glass panels inspired by its Metastasis composition. The site, marked by financial difficulties, was completed in 1960, and the convent was inaugurated in the presence of Cardinal Gerlier, Archbishop of Lyon.

The convent, designed for 80 Dominican students, combines collective spaces (church, cloister, refectory, library) and a hundred individual cells optimized according to the Modulor. Its inverted pyramidal architecture, in raw concrete, dialogue with the hilly landscape. The church, dark and lit by oriented wall slits, dominates a colorful crypt nicknamed "the ear", while the "concrete flowers" in front of the corridor windows require an active contemplation of the landscape. Ranked as a Historic Monument in 1965, then in 1979 and 2011, the site is also labeled "Twentieth Century Heritage" and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, alongside 16 other works by Le Corbusier.

After the crisis of May 1968, the convent ceased its educational function but remained a place of spiritual retreat and symposia. Restored between 2006 and 2013 thanks to patrons such as Spie Batignolles and Velux, it opens to the public with exhibitions of contemporary art (Anish Kapoor, Lee Ufan, Anselm Kiefer) in the framework of the "Encounters de La Tourette" and the Biennale de Lyon. Always occupied by a small Dominican community, it combines monastic life, cultural tourism and economic balance through hotel activity.

The convent illustrates the synthesis between architectural modernity and spirituality. The Corbusier described it as "a work of love", where "essential is happening inside". Its unaxed cross plan, its meditative roof terraces, and its play of light (especially in the crypt illuminated by "light cannons") make it a symbol of modern sacred architecture. Le Corbusier's remains were observed there in 1965, highlighting his deep connection with this project.

Registration at UNESCO in 2016 crowns international recognition, after unsuccessful applications in 2009 and 2011. The final dossier, focused on 17 iconic sites including Chandigarh (India), highlights Le Corbusier's global influence. Today, La Tourette remains a living place, between heritage, art and meditation, although its accessibility to people with reduced mobility is limited.

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