09/29/2026
SAINT-PIERRE – A CHURCH THAT HAD TO WAIT 41 YEARS FOR ITS ARCHITECT
In January 1961, Le Corbusier was commissioned to design a church for the new Firminy-Vert district. Working with his collaborator José Oubrerie, he developed an unconventional design: a square-based structure rising into a monumental truncated concrete cone. Small openings were intended to bring light into the interior and create a distinctive spiritual atmosphere. (Fondation Le Corbusier)
In January 1965, just months before his death, Le Corbusier wrote to the parish priest, Father Roger Tardy:
“I have done my job.”
He was now waiting for construction to begin. But when Le Corbusier died on 27 August 1965, the church had not even risen from the ground. (Fondation Le Corbusier)
Construction finally began in 1973, eight years after his death, under the direction of José Oubrerie. Work stopped in 1978 and resumed only in 2004. Saint-Pierre was finally inaugurated in November 2006 – 41 years after Le Corbusier’s death. (Fondation Le Corbusier)
Saint-Pierre therefore raises an unusual question: Where does an architect’s work end when his design becomes reality only decades after his death?
The Fondation Le Corbusier identifies Le Corbusier as the architect of the design and José Oubrerie as the architect responsible for its realization. (Fondation Le Corbusier)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9CJou0Rgio
