In the resort town of Royan, located on France’s Atlantic coast, stands a building that has attracted constant admiration and curiosity for several decades. It is the Church of Notre-Dame, an outstanding work by the architect Guillaume Gillet. The temple is one of the country’s leading examples of modernist ecclesiastical architecture and is also a symbol of the city’s reconstruction after the devastation of the Second World War. It is distinguished by its austere form, imposing scale and reinforced concrete structure, and is therefore sometimes mistaken for a cathedral.
Destruction and birth of a new symbol
The centre of Royan, together with the neo-Gothic Notre-Dame church from the 19th century, was almost completely destroyed in the bombing of January 1945. Following these tragic events, the town’s mayor set the architect Guillaume Gillet an ambitious task. He was to build a new temple, but one that, in addition to being a place of worship, would also be a sign of rebirth and a vertical dominant feature in the landscape of the rebuilding resort. Work began in 1955, and just three years later the church was consecrated. The monumental reinforced concrete form was part of the post-war trend to seek a new language of sacred architecture, moving away from historicist styles. In 1988, the building was listed as an outstanding work of modernism.
Church of Notre-Dame in Royan – architecture and construction
The Church of Notre-Dame in Royan can accommodate as many as two thousand people. It has an ellipse plan 50 metres long and 30 metres wide. Its structure is made up of 24 V-shaped reinforced concrete pillars, developed according to engineer Bernard Lafaille’s system, combined with high bands of glazing. The roof in the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid, called a saddle roof, is only eight centimetres thick and is supported by two massive arches. Above the whole is the 56-metre high bell tower, which has become one of the most important landmarks in the region. The interior of the church contrasts with the austere façade. It surprises with its monumentality, light and theatrical layout of the space, in which the magnificent stained glass windows play a central role.
Light, colour, organ and art
The stained glass windows cover a total of an impressive 500 square metres. Their creator was Henri-Martin Granel, who used here the innovative technique of white glass embedded in cement joints. This gave the effect of sculptural, three-dimensional compositions. The stained-glass windows in the side aisles depict the Stations of the Cross in a stylised manner, while the choir contains a massive triangular stained-glass window by Claude Idoux in Baccarat crystal, showing the Assumption of Mary. In 1962, a grand organ, designed by Robert Boisseau, was commissioned for the church. The construction of such a demanding instrument was only completed in 1984. It contains 47 voices and more than 3,600 pipes, making it one of the most important organs in the Charente-Maritime department. The building has been declared a monument and plays a central role in the cultural life of Royan, including during the famous ‘Un Violon sur le Sable’ festival. The church’s furnishings are complemented by modern works of sacred art, including sculptures and liturgical elements by artists such as Gaston Watkin and Jacques Perret.
Problems and conservation of Notre-Dame in Royan
The church was built in a record time of three years, but unfortunately – the concrete used proved susceptible to the salty air from the ocean. For this reason, the building requires frequent and costly maintenance work. Since the 1990s, the belfry, stained glass windows and parts of the roof and façade have been systematically restored. The most recent work was carried out between 2013 and 2019 and cost more than four million euros.
The legacy of Guillaume Gillet
Guillaume Gillet considered the Notre-Dame church in Royan to be his greatest work. His design combined modernity, technical boldness and references to the Gothic tradition. In the architecture of the church, one can see both the power of the form and the symbolic significance of the vertical pillars and the luminous stained glass windows. Since 1996, the architect’s remains have rested in the church’s farmyard. The building is one of the most important examples of post-war modernism in France. With its monumental silhouette, structural daring and unique interior, the church remains an icon of 20th century architecture. For the city, it has become a symbol of rebirth and pride after the dramatic wartime experience.
Source: royanatlantique.fr, notre-dame-royan.com
Also read: Brutalism | Monument | History | Sacred architecture | France
