The work will be completed in July on the west and north facades, as well as on the turrets, following those on the south facade and the concrete shell made last year, said the Association Œuvre Notre-Dame du Haut, owner of the site, local authorities and representatives of the State, during a press briefing.
The second part of the interventions will concern the east façade and the main tower "from September", then the interior of the chapel "a priori from February 2024", so as to complete the restoration "in the summer of 2024", exposed to AFP Jean-Jacques Virot, president of the Association.
This restoration represents a total amount of 2.7 million euros, 90% financed by the State, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region and the Haute-Saône department, which leaves 10% at the expense of the Association by appeal for donations and patronage, according to the document sent to the press on Tuesday.
One of Le Corbusier's most emblematic works, the chapel built in concrete in 1955 on a hill is one of the 17 works listed since 2016 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by the Swiss architect naturalized French who revolutionized his discipline in the twentieth century. It is frequented each year by 65,000 visitors from all over the world.
However, it has undergone alterations over time that justify the work in progress.
"The pathologies to be treated on the outside of the building concern cracks, spauvings (surface splinters related to moisture migration), as well as sealing defects," described Jean-Jacques Virot.
The site is also used to take over the white lime plaster characteristic of the building. "It will be made a little less clear and a little less matte" than the original one, but will be "in respect" of the initial work, "it remains very white," said Mr. Virot.
© 2023 AFP