Ancien couvent des Capucins
MonumentHidden Treasure
A little-known jewel of reinforced concrete in Tours, the Capucins chapel designed by Auguste and Gustave Perret reveals a sober, bold modernism, a rare testimony to the architectural avant-garde of the early 20th century.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
In the heart of Tours, the former Capuchin convent is home to one of the most discreet and precious works by the Perret brothers, absolute pioneers of reinforced concrete in France. If the name Perret spontaneously conjures up images of Le Havre or the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, it is here, in an alleyway in Tours, that the same constructive intelligence is expressed on an intimate, almost confidential scale. The chapel, which occupies the west wing of the convent, is immediately striking for the sincerity of its materials: the reinforced concrete is neither masked nor embellished, but structures the space with a logic that already heralds Brutalism while retaining the dignity proper to religious architecture. The checkerboard pattern of cement blocks creates a subtle visual rhythm on the façades, transforming an economic constraint into an aesthetic signature. Inside, the eye is drawn to the large-scale painting on canvas by Madame Masse, a work that engages in a dialogue with the calculated coldness of the concrete to restore the spiritual dimension of the space. This contrast between structural rigour and pictorial warmth is one of the site's most fascinating tensions. The monument, now converted into a medical and social facility, is not open to the public in the same way as a traditional tourist site, which gives it an aura of rarity. For lovers of twentieth-century architecture, simply glimpsing its volumes from the street is already a precious discovery, and any visit organised as part of the Heritage Days or a specialised tour becomes a real privilege.
Architecture
The Capucins chapel in Tours is a remarkable example of modernist religious architecture from the first quarter of the 20th century, as conceived by Auguste and Gustave Perret. The architectural approach is based on the use of reinforced concrete as the main structural material, complemented by cement blocks arranged in a chessboard pattern on the façades. This chessboard pattern, far from being a mere cladding, reflects the post-and-beam constructional logic so dear to the Perret family: the visible grid on the walls honestly expresses the reality of the load-bearing structure. The volume of the chapel is sober and elongated, set in the west wing of the convent, where it occupies a reduced length compared to the initial programme. This compactness, imposed by budgetary constraints, gives the interior space a particular intensity: the light, filtered through calculated openings, sculpts the rough surfaces with a precision reminiscent of the effects sought in the architect's major works on the church at Le Raincy (1922-1923). The treatment of the interior walls is in dialogue with Madame Masse's marouflaged canvas, a large-scale pictorial work integrated into the overall composition. The ensemble illustrates the fundamental Perretian doctrine: architecture must not lie about its materials or its structure. Concrete is not covered in rendering or ashlar to pass itself off as something else - it asserts its own identity, heralding, a few decades ahead of time, the choices made by Brutalism and contemporary architecture.
Related Figures
Auguste Perret — architecte, co-concepteur de la chapelle, pionnier du béton armé en FranceGustave Perret — architecte, frère et associé d'Auguste, co-signataire du projetMadame Masse — artiste peintre, auteure de la peinture sur toile marouflée ornant la chapelleLes frères Capucins — communauté franciscaine fondatrice et commanditaire du couvent dès 1899
