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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The church of Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay, located at 23 rue Claude-Parent in Nevers (Nièvre), was designed in 1966 by architects Claude Parent and Paul Virilio, pioneers of the oblique function. Its radical architecture, consisting of two interlocked reinforced concrete shells, evokes both a bunker and the Lourdes cave, breaking with the traditional cannons of the churches. This project, considered the major work of Parent, reflects the concerns of the time, including the nuclear threat during the cold war.

Ranked a historic monument in May 2000, the church also received in 2005 the 20th century Heritage label, distinguishing only ten sites in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. His provocative aesthetic, sometimes compared to Nazi military architecture by critics, was in reality intended to symbolize contemporary geopolitical tensions. The interior furniture, signed by Morice Lipsi, and the stained glass windows of Odette Ducarré, complete this bold realization.

The building marked generations of architects, such as Dominique Perrault, who drew a lasting inspiration from it during his teens. Despite the controversy over its suitability for the cult of St.Bernadette, the church remains a unique testimony to the architectural innovation of the 1960s, mixing spirituality and radical modernity. Its plan and elevation, unprecedented in religious history, are a major subject of study.

Historical sources underline its anchoring in the context of the Cold War, where Virilio, marked by the Second World War bunkers, transposed these references into a reflection on protection and vulnerability. The book Bunker Archaeology (1958) and subsequent publications, such as Nevers Architecture Principe (ed. HYX), document this intellectual and aesthetic approach.

Today, the church of St. Bernadette in Banlay is run by the municipality of Nevers and remains an active place of worship, while attracting researchers and enthusiasts of architecture. Its ranking and label make it a protected heritage, illustrating the institutional recognition of an initially controversial work.

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