Seeking an unplugged pilgrimage

Le Corbusier’s La Tourette

So much of my work is conducted on Instagram these days. Whether it’s listing flats for rent for this website, sharing my latest Perambulation, or, as in recently, tracking down the artist behind a tile mural on a council estate, I use it in a positive way and it’s allowed me to connect with a great community. And although I’m genuinely grateful for it — there are some downsides.

It used to be enough to reset my brain by heading off for a bit of a hike, but lately, I’ve noticed that even then, I’m checking my phone. There’s no real escape from work. I know I’m not exactly down ’t pit, but it’s still hard to get my brain to quieten the noise.

So, yesterday, I took the afternoon off. I popped on a pair of shorts, slathered myself in factor 50, filled two large bottles of water, and set off to Box Hill in Surrey — crucially, without my phone. During my walk, I decided I must arrange to go back to Le Corbusier’s monastery, La Tourette. I first visited it in 2018 (after a tip-off from Ruth Lang) and it set me on the path to realising my book Modernist Escapes. I went back last year as part of a trip researching a Paris Perambulation, and although I had a migraine for most of my stay, I resolved to try and make this pilgrimage yearly.

La Tourette was built between 1953 and 1960 in Éveux, fifteen miles outside Lyon. Commissioned by Dominican Father Marie-Alain Couturier, who called for a church, place of learning, and residence for 100 brothers, it was one of Le Corbusier’s last and most important projects.

The complex is essentially formed of two masses around a central courtyard: a rectangular box for the church and a U-shaped building housing the common areas such as a library and refectory on the ground floor; and the cells (bedrooms), which run around the perimeter on the top two floors.

The compact cells are designed to reflect the simplicity of monastic life and are equipped with the essentials for sleeping and studying: a bed, a washbasin, a desk, lamp — designed almost identically to the hotel rooms in Corb’s Unité d’habitation in Marseille. Each room has a balcony that also serves as protection from extreme weather, with views towards the forest.

Most spectacular is the church and crypt, where there are barely any light sources — but those that exist are carefully orchestrated, such as the three light cannons painted red, blue and white, projecting warm sunlight into the dark interior.

Today the monastery is home to just eleven friars, and the rest of the rooms are let as a hotel, mostly to religious and architectural pilgrims. There are some rules you must follow, such as no talking any of the corridors. One of the highlights of a stay is dining with the other guests in the large refectory. The food is hit and miss, but definitely an experience. I wrote about what I ate during my first visit on the old Tumblr:

First published in 2018

At every mealtime, you gather in the refectory with the Brothers and the other guests staying at the monastery. Communal tables are shared with architects (mainly), but I also met people at a junction in their lives, needing some time out. A Japanese man who spoke no French or English (I wondered how he had managed to get there). A group of Italians on a Le Corbusier pilgrimage. A Polish man on a religious one. Whatever the reason, I highly recommend it.

Day one

Dinner Red wine, bread. Starter: Tinned tuna, sweetcorn, and an unidentified substance that bound it all together. Main course: Vegetarian apparently, but I couldn’t tell you what it was. If I had to guess — sweet potato mashed into a flat patty, crumbed and fried. A mayonnaise-like relish/sauce, with a side of stewed green vegetable (looked a bit like celery). Dessert: Natural yoghurt with what looked like apple purée (I skipped this).

Day two

Breakfast Buffet style. I had cornflakes, coffee and orange juice.

Lunch Starter: Wasn’t so bad — mushrooms in what I suspect was tomato pasta sauce from a jar. Bread. (The bread is very good.) Main course: Chicken thigh or wing — I’m not sure. There wasn’t much meat on it. I gave up eating chicken last year, but I didn’t want to make a scene or be ungrateful, so I ate it. It came with rice and peas, which was actually okay. Dessert: Slices of tinned pineapple topped with synthetic sugary cream. Coffee. There was red wine. I refrained.

Dinner Starter: Filo pastry thing, with a thin layer of something wetter inside. Main course: Courgettes in a curry sauce — think English powdered curry / katsu-style. Quite well-cooked broccoli. Dessert: Cheese, bread, a kiwi (I enjoyed this). Wine.

Day three

Breakfast Cornflakes, coffee and orange juice.

Lunch Starter: Pea salad. Main course: White fish fillets with a bean salad. Dessert: Cheese, bread, and an apple. Coffee. There was red wine. I refrained.

Dinner Starter: Green salad. Main course: Chopped vegetables — unclear which — with something resembling a fish cake (similar texture to day one’s patty, but definitely fishy. It was a Friday). Dessert: Cheese, bread, floating island (I skipped this). Chocolate muffin (I took this to my room). Wine.

Day four