Évry Cathedral, Modern Catholic cathedral in Évry-Courcouronnes, France
Évry Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Évry-Courcouronnes designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. Its exterior is a truncated cylinder 38.4 metres in diameter, rising to 34 metres at its highest point, built from two reinforced concrete cylinders clad in 840,000 handmade bricks. The brickwork forms horizontal bands broken by narrow windows, and a ring-shaped roof holds 24 silver lime trees around a central cross.
The Diocese of Corbeil-Essonnes was created on 9 October 1966, with Saint-Spire in Corbeil-Essonnes as its cathedral and offices in a converted primary school at Saint-Germain-lès-Corbeil. In 1988 Bishop Guy Herbulot proposed a cathedral in Évry's town centre, and the diocese took the name Évry–Corbeil-Essonnes in 1989. The first stone was blessed at Easter 1991, work began in July 1992, and the building opened for worship on 11 April 1995.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Corbinian, a 7th-century bishop born at Arpajon, then in the diocese of Évry. Its chancel window, a Tree of Life in light and dark glass, was added at the bishop's request after the original design. The altar is cut from a single block of Carrara marble.
The underground crypt provides 24 burial spaces for bishops, while the octagonal Day Chapel serves smaller religious ceremonies. These separate spaces allow the building to accommodate different types of gatherings and religious functions.
The 24 silver limes on the roof stand in 1,200 cubic metres of topsoil, one for each hour of the day and for the twelve apostles plus the twelve tribes of Israel. The roof slopes from 34 metres at its highest point down to 17 metres, and the trees are set around a concrete crown lit with gold at night.
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