Eglise Saint-Joseph, Le Havre

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St. Joseph's Church, Le Havre, France was built between 1951 and 1957/58 as part of the reconstruction of the town of Le Havre, which was entirely destroyed by the British during World War II. It is a memorial to the 2053 civilians who died or disapeared.

The church was designed by the chief architect for the reconstruction of Le Havre, Auguste Perret, teacher and mentor to the Swiss architect Le Corbusier. The tower is 107 metres tall and acts as a beacon visible from out at sea, especially at night when illuminated.

The layout of the stained glass by artist Marguerite Huré is geometric with the basic seven colours (orange, yellow, green, purple, red, green, white) declined in fifty shades. The colours, darker at the base of the bell tower become lighter towards the summit ending with white at the top sublimating and highlighting the verticality of the structure as desired by Auguste Perret.

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