Of course France has a Wealth of Romanesque and Gothic churches of all shapes and sizes, some of stunning proportions and, likewise, acoustics. But what of the communities which decided their churches were too small for a growing and fervently religious population? Some simply knocked down their medieval piles and, in the early 20th century re-built in concrete. It is easy to see this as an act of vandalism, but I have visited two such churches in Normandy which to my mind are works of brilliant architectural imagination, and assuming they last as long as those they have replaced, will be seen by future generations as masterpieces. One is a late Art Deco church at Bagnoles sur l'Orne. The other a Neo-Byzantine basilica at Domfront. Both are vast, fully vaulted and of amazing acoustics (even if the former has no pipe organ). I am frankly amazed at the forward-looking and courageous decisions to create such buildings, but wonder if my view is an unusual one?
-
-
This extraordinary building must be the most well-known example, though nothing was knocked down afaik.
Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, finished 1955.Comment
-
A British example during the brave new world of 1962-63...
Comment
-
Pacta sunt servanda !!!Comment
-
Indeed; though nothing ecclesiastical was knocked down to build it except plans for the largest cathedral in the world, which (it had become clear) never would be built anyway.Originally posted by Flay View Post
But what kind of lens gave the image that amount of space surrounding the building? Really, it appears more to the viewer on the ground like this:
This one shouldn't be forgotten, either:
Last edited by jean; 15-02-16, 08:59.Comment
-
Is that Bristol, Jean? I was quite unimpressed by it.Pacta sunt servanda !!!Comment
-
Yes; I haven't seen it since I sang at its consecration in about 1973.
I remember interesting spaces inside, but we had a very complex programme of music to perform and not much time to admire (or not) the exterior.
.Last edited by jean; 15-02-16, 08:51. Reason: i managed to write concentration instead of consecrationComment
-
... not a big concrete church - but a most interesting small concrete church, some 20 miles east-south-east of Dieppe, near Neufchatel-en-Bray. The interior is particularly beguiling : well worth a detour if you're in the area -
St Martin at Foucarmont
.Last edited by vinteuil; 15-02-16, 10:24.Comment
-
Isn't concrete horribleOriginally posted by Keraulophone View PostThis extraordinary building must be the most well-known example, though nothing was knocked down afaik.
Le Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, finished 1955.
I've been sending images of this fantastic building to folks who come out with nonsense about building materialsComment
-
I sang at the consecration of the Liverpool cathedral in 1967 - I was probably wearing short trousers!Originally posted by jean View Post
Bristol does not have the finish of Liverpool both inside and out (you can see all the plank marks where the concrete was poured for the roof for example), and it certainly cannot compete with the windows! No doubt it was built on a tight budget. Liverpool had an historic fund already available left over from the original Lutyens plans:
Last time I visited the Liverpool Metrop cathedral the sun was bright and low in the sky. The lighting was spectacular.Building of the Crypt went on apace until 1941 when the war years brought the cessation of building, but the fund happily consolidated. In 36 years it had risen to £934,786 of which a little less than half had been expended. After the war the Crypt was completed and remains part of the present Cathedral, a magnificent fragment of what might have been. But the grandiose romanesque super-structure, the main entrance arch of which could have contained the nearby University’s clock tower, was now costed at an impossible £27 million! Once again the dream was threatened.
Pacta sunt servanda !!!Comment
-
Oh dear, it gets worse. Clifton Cathedral has a leaky roof
Pacta sunt servanda !!!Comment
-
So did Liverpool! They had to threaten to sue the architect.Comment
-
Restoration work in the pipeline.
Not French, but Scotland is the next best thing....
I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
I am not a number, I am a free man.Comment
-
This coming up as wellOriginally posted by teamsaint View Posthttp://avantiarchitects.co.uk/projec...nary-cardross/
Restoration work in the pipeline.
Not French, but Scotland is the next best thing....
Featuring the wonderful Alistair MacDonald and others
Comment
Comment