Évry Cathedral

The cathedral is in the form of a truncated cylinder, with an inclined roof. The line of the roof is broken by trees, which gives a variation of color with the changing seasons. Describing his choice of the cylinder form, Botta wrote, "I find in the primary forms a clarity and a call to order amid disorder, whether it concerns a church, a mansion or a house."[5] The truncated cylinder had appeared in one his first buildings, the Church of San Giovanni Batista in Mogno, Switzerland (1986–1996) and later appeared in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (1990–1995)

The cathedral exterior gives the impression of being constructed entirely of brick, but actually is composed of two cylinders of reinforced concrete covered with bricks of the classic construction size. The inner cylinder is 29.3 metres (96 ft); the outer is 38.4 metres (126 ft) The space between the cylinders is filled with passageways, staircases and technical spaces.

The brick of the exterior is designed as a series of horizontal bands, broken by a small number windows. The bricks are laid in designs that give it a delicate, lace-like quality.

Botta explained that he selected brick for its aesthetic qualities, and because "I try to utilise the most basic, humble materials, but with the desire to give them a certain dignity."[6]

The highest point of the cylinder faces to the northwest, and presents a series of geometric forms and symbols from the bottom to the top. At the bottom is a hemispherical window with a design that represents a stylised tree of life. Above this are the windows of the National Center for Sacred Art. separated by a vertical rectangular column that contains a stairway. Above this is an oculus window, in the form of a rosace, and above it, attached to the facade, is the metallic bell tower, containing five bells. The bell tower supports the cross above.[7]

The principal entrance to the cathedral is on the southwest side, behind a v-shaped terrace. The voussures over the entry porch suggest the portal of a Gothic cathedral, but in this case, the voussures are pure rectangles without sculpture, designed to highlight the contrast between darkness and light. Over the entrance are rows of small vertical windows that resemble the meurtriers, or narrow defensive slits, adding to the appearance of a medieval castle.[7]

The semicircular nave, the portion of the church where the congregation is seated, resembles a theater, with rows of seats on main floor and additional seating in two levels of galleries. It can seat between eight hundred and one thousand worshippers. The organ is placed into a niche in the brick, near a balcony that holds the members of the choir.[8]

The wooden pews or seats were designed by Botta and made from light-coloured oak from Burgundy. Their design is very simple and geometric, and the straight rows provide a contrast with the curving walls of the nave.

• 
  Altar and stained glass
• 
  The Bishop's Chair

The choir is traditionally the part of the cathedral reserved for the clergy, separating the nave and apse. At Évry it separated from the nave by six steps up to a platform where the altar is located. Behind the altar is a dramatic curving arch with a modern stained glass window in light and dark glass, representing the Tree of Life. This was not part of the original design of the cathedral but was requested by the Bishop as a means of representing the divinity of light.[9]

• The altar is made of a single block of Carrera marble. Above the altar and window is 19th-century statue of Christ on the cross, carved of light-coloured wood from Tanzania.

• On the wall over the pulpit is a modern bronze statue of Saint Corbinien on the Cross, patron saint of the Cathedral, made by the French sculptors Hugues and France Siptrott.

• The Baptismal font is located to the left of the altar platform, viewed from the nave. It is circular and large enough for baptisms by immersion and made of white Carrara marble set against the black granite of the floor. Its placement corresponds with the doctrine of the Vatican II Council, which declared that baptism was an event to be shared with the whole church community. [9]

• The pulpit is made of light-coloured wood from Burgundy, and is normally to the right of the choir viewed from the nave, but can be placed as needed for a ceremony.

• The tabernacle in the choir, near the pulpit, pulpit contains the consecrated hosts used during the communion ceremony. It is a cube designed by the French artist Louis Cane, with three sides decorated with Biblical symbols inspired by those of the early Christians.

• The rectangular Bishop's seat or throne (literally the "Cathedra") is made of the same light-coloured oak as the pews. It is flanked by two smaller seats for the assessors. The position of the seat is given visible prominence by the design on the brick wall behind it, and by the hemispherical section of black stone floor where it is placed.[10]

The Gallery-Disambulatory is a wide curving stairway that gradually descends from the southeast entrance along the church wall down to the intersection between the choir and the nave. On the way, it passes by a series of wide horizontal openings containing a series of twelve narrow vertical bays with stained glass windows made by Father Kim En Joong, a Dominican priest of Korean origin.[11]

The lower portion of the gallery is decorated with works of art, including three large plaques created with petrified wood from Arizona, made by the artist Jean-Christophe Guillon, which depict the arrest, death and resurrection of Christ, and two bronze arcs representing the crown of thorns, engraved with the numbers of the stations of the cross.

• 
  The ceiling

In the center of the sloping circular roof is a three-dimensional triangle of metal tubing, containing windows and movable glass panels, making it possible to control the level of incoming light. When the panels are open, the congregation below can also see the circle of trees around the roof. Botta described his nave as "a primary space held between the earth and the sky, a place for meditation, for silence."[12]

The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, also called the Day Chapel, is the only chapel within the Cathedral. It is in an octagonal form, borrowed from early Christian churches such as the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. The number eight is considered a symbol of harmony. The roof has a caisson or rectangular grid form, similar to those of Romanesque cathedrals and some Italian churches, such as the Pisa Cathedral.

The floor of the chapel has alternating rows of polished stone and jaw stone, an updated and stylised version of the labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral. The sculptural elements of the chapel include a modernised Virgin and Child statue, a stylised crucifix and a tabernacle made of forged iron and gilded bronze, all by the French artist Gerard Garouste.