Saint-Pierre church, Modern church in Firminy, France
Saint-Pierre Church is a modern structure in Firminy built from concrete in the shape of a truncated cone, standing 33 meters tall with a square base measuring roughly 25 meters on each side. The building serves as both a house of worship and an exhibition space, as its lower levels contain display areas for the Saint-Etienne Museum of Modern Art.
The structure was designed by Le Corbusier in 1963, with construction beginning in 1971, though the project remained unfinished for decades. Work resumed in 2003 and the building reached completion in 2006 under the supervision of architect Jose Oubrerie.
The small window perforations on the east side let light filter through in a specific pattern, creating a unique interplay of brightness and shadow inside. Visitors notice how this shifting light transforms the space throughout the day.
The building welcomes visitors, with the exhibition spaces on the lower levels being accessible to everyone. To visit the main church area and reach the upper levels for views, admission is required, so it is worth checking conditions before planning your visit.
The concrete structure required more than one hundred specialized molds to achieve its precise truncated cone shape. A particular technical challenge involved the 85 wooden corner forms, which were designed using computer technology during the early 2000s.
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