Église Notre-Dame du Raincy

The Church of Notre Dame du Raincy is a modern church built in 1921-22 by the French architects Auguste Perret and Gustave Perret in the commune of Le Raincy near Paris. It is considered a monument of modernism in architecture, using reinforced concrete in a manner that expresses the possibilities of the new material.

Design and construction

At the beginning of the twentieth century Le Raincy was a small parish church for suburbs whose population was rapidly growing. In 1918 the abbot of Le Raincy, Felix Nègre, proposed in 1918 to build a church to commemorate the French victory in the Battle of the Marne in 1914. Through connections among parishioners, Nègre came into contact with the Perrets. The design used concrete for economy. Rather than attempting to simulate masonry, the new material was used on its own terms, with standardized elements, slender supports, and thin membranes pierced by windows.

The completed church received widespread favorable attention, influencing architectural thought at a time of rebuilding and economic recovery.

Glass

The magnificent stained glass was created by Marguerite Huré using colored coatings on clear glass for economy. The colors are dominated by blues near the entry and progress to warmer tones in the sanctuary.

Organ

The 1875 John Abbey organ belonging to the original parish church was moved to the new church. Changes made in 1957 changed its character. Public donations are now being sought for a new organ.^[1]

Restoration

At the time of the church's construction, concrete was still an experimental material. Deterioration was noted by the 1960s, and studies showed that the original concrete contained an excess of lime and water. Coverage of the steel reinforcing was also deficient. Restoration work has proceeded, with particular attention to the tower, using more modern materials and techniques.

Copies

In 1937, at the Tokyo Woman's Christian University, a chapel was built that was similar to Notre-Dame du Raincy. It is around half the size. The copy by architect Antonín Raymond was unauthorised. Christine Vendredi-Auzanneau argues that

"Reimann knew about Notre Dame du Raincy".^[2][3]

The Czech architect, Bedřich Feuerstein came to Tokyo in 1926 and worked with Reimann between 1926 and 1931, after working a year in France with the Perret brothers.

The Raincy church also led to other insiprations in Japan^[4].

Further reading

• Peter Collins, Concrete : The Vision of a New Architecture, New York, Horizon Press, 1959.
• Kenneth Frampton, Modern Architecture 1851-1945, New York, Rizzoli International Publications, 1983.
• Roberto Gargiani, Auguste Perret, Gallimard / Electa, ISBN 2-07-015008-9, 1994 , pp. 118–123.
• Erwin Heinle, Türme aller Zeiten - aller Kulturen (3eme édition), Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart (Allemagne) , ISBN 3-421-02931-8, 1997, pp. 220.
• Bertrand Lemoine, 100 Monuments du XXeme Siècle, Éditions France Loisirs, Paris (France) , ISBN 2-7441-3496-1, 2000, pp. 84–85.
• Bernard Toulier, Architecture et patrimoine du XXeme Siècle en France, Éditions du patrimoine, Paris (France) , ISBN 2-85822-267-3, 1999, pp. 206–207.

References

1. ^ http://paroisse.leraincy.free.fr/archi-orgues.html Pay donations here
2. ^ "Aux origines du béton au Japon : Antonin Raymond à travers la presse architecturale et un fonds d'archives inédit", Christine Vendredi-Auzanneau, [1]
3. ^ Photos of Tokyo Woman's Christian University can be found here Interior, Tower, Edifice Interior
4. ^ Koichi Yoshida, « Auguste Perret », Kashima Shuppankaù 1985, p. 222-229. Koichi Yoshida, « Lo Rainsi Noturu damu » (« L'église Notre-Dame du Raincy — son originalité et son influence »), NihonGakkai, n° 341, p. 127-133.

External links

1. Notre-Dame du Raincy at Structurae website (French)
2. longitudinal section of the church
3. Notes on construction, designers, organ, at the parish website (French)
4. Base Mérimée data, French Ministry of Culture (French)

Coordinates: 48°53′45″N 2°30′49″E / 48.89583°N 2.51361°E / 48.89583; 2.51361