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1. DEVELOPING THE PRELIMINARY PROJECT “In you is the source of life, by your light we see the light” (Sal 36,10) It was December 2011. When the preliminary remodeling project of La Valla was already taking shape, I went to Avila for work reasons. This city is a small ‘Spanish Capital’, Saint Teresa’s hometown, and the place where Saint John of the Cross exerted his influence – the two great Carmelite mystics of the 16 th century. One afternoon after work, I visited a newly-opened small museum that goes under the suggestive name of Mysticism Interpretation Center. The place just blew my mind, and the consequences of this visit have been far-reaching. Suddenly, the remodeling project fell into place. I clearly envisioned the renovated La Valla House with its own identity as Marist birthplace and spirituality interpretation center. This broad and enriching spiritual vision was precisely the ‘structural link’ that would order and give deep meaning to the work. How had I come this far? The archi- tectural rehabilitation I had been entrusted with aimed at rendering the heritage of this birthplace visible and understandable, highlighting its structure and meaning. In my opin- ion, there were three important goals. First, to look at the past in order to restore its historical sense, the “Marist roots”. Second, to look at the present and upgrade the House, making it functional and comfort- La Valla, a House Full of Radiant Light Architect - Province of L’Hermitage, Spain Joan Puig-Pey April 2016 5 Panoramic view of La Valla

Joan Puig-Pey La Valla, a House Full of Radiant Light · The municipality of La Valla-en-Gier is located in a beautiful moun-tain setting deep in the countryside, on the doorstep

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Page 1: Joan Puig-Pey La Valla, a House Full of Radiant Light · The municipality of La Valla-en-Gier is located in a beautiful moun-tain setting deep in the countryside, on the doorstep

1. DEVELOPINGTHE PRELIMINARY PROJECT

“In you is the source of life, by your light we see the light” (Sal 36,10)

It was December 2011. When the preliminary remodeling project of LaValla was already taking shape, I went to Avila for work reasons. Thiscity is a small ‘Spanish Capital’, Saint Teresa’s hometown, and the placewhere Saint John of the Cross exerted his influence – the two greatCarmelite mystics of the 16th century. One afternoon after work, I visiteda newly-opened small museum that goes under the suggestive name ofMysticism Interpretation Center. The place just blew my mind, and theconsequences of this visit have been far-reaching.Suddenly, the remodeling project fell into place. I clearly envisioned therenovated La Valla House with itsown identity as Marist birthplace andspirituality interpretation center. Thisbroad and enriching spiritual visionwas precisely the ‘structural link’ thatwould order and give deep meaningto the work.How had I come this far? The archi-tectural rehabilitation I had beenentrusted with aimed at renderingthe heritage of this birthplace visibleand understandable, highlighting itsstructure and meaning. In my opin-ion, there were three importantgoals. First, to look at the past inorder to restore its historical sense,the “Marist roots”. Second, to look atthe present and upgrade the House,making it functional and comfort-

La Valla,a House Full of

Radiant LightArchitect - Province of L’Hermitage, Spain

Joan Puig-Pey

April 2016 • 5

Panoramic viewof La Valla

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able, suitable for welcoming people in aconviviality atmosphere. And third, as inthe case of the Hermitage, rather than be-coming a museum, it should be a place inwhich pilgrims could touch Champagnat’sspirit, renew their Marist commitment, andrefresh their confidence in the future. Itwas a matter of highlighting the place’s“roots”, but also its “wings”.

2. CHAMPAGNAT HOUSE“At last our feet are standing

at your gates, oh Jerusalem!” (Sal 122,2)

The municipality of La Valla-en-Gier is located in a beautiful moun-tain setting deep in the countryside, on the doorstep of the PilatNatural Park. Champagnat House provides suitable spaces for con-templation, dialogue and celebration. When visitors arrive here aftera long journey – sometimes starting thousands of miles away – theyfind a domestic-scale small building in which they hope to find awelcoming atmosphere and experience a spiritualencounter, a true “Visitation”. The restored spacesand the objects on display had to bea mediation allowing them to dis-cover Marcellin Champagnat and hisfirst brothers, but also the spirit in-spiring both them and his followerstoday, brothers and lay people.Pilgrims nowadays – as citizens ofthe 21st century – are usually agi-tated and full of ‘inner noise’ whenthey arrive here. Therefore, the House should gradu-ally and gently lead them to thedaily life experience of the 19th cen-tury. This is why pilgrims do not ac-cess the House directly from themain street, but must get there onfoot, following the façade until theyreach the big playground of theneighboring school, and finally head

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Renovation work ofLa Valla – 2013

The “Maison Champagnat”in La Valla

LA VALLA, A HOUSE FULL OF RADIANT LIGHTJoan Puig-Pey

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around the building to the door. It is a short itin-erary allowing them to notice the passage of timejust by looking at the façade and its different win-dows, which are an insignificant architectural ele-ment, and yet give witness to the building’shistory: wooden windows with small glasses inopenings on the façade framed with carved naturalstone, evoking the 19th century; iron-framed alu-minum windows with a single glass, recallingmodernity and the present; and, finally, a greatvertical window, somehow escaping from thefaçade and leading into the future. Once inside the building, a sort of funnel-shapedthreshold gradually reduces the ceiling’s height,leading the pilgrims into the house through a tinygloomy corridor.

An image of Mary hidden in a niche appears unex-pectedly, letting the pilgrims know they are enter-ing a singular place.The different interior spaces, the balanced combi-nation of rustic and natural materials, the signifi-cant and evocative objects in specific positions,and finally, the contrast between modern and 19th-century architecture intimately move the visitors’heart and open their mind to this timeless en-counter embracing past, present and future.

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3. THE THREE FLOORSOF LA VALLA HOUSE

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength”

(Dt 6:5)

In the very first draft, I decided the building would have three mainfloors – basement, ground and first – that would be updated to meetEuropean standards.I was engaged in these thoughts when I received an article by

Brother André Lanfrey entitled Mysticism, Utopia and Institution inFather Champagnat (Mystique, utopie et institution chez

le Père Champagnat), published in January2011. Architecture creates an indestruc-tible complicity between people, almostlike music does.

André and I had held thorough and challeng-ing discussions during the renovation work atthe Hermitage. His article, which I read withgreat interest, captivated me right from thestart: “Marcellin Champagnat, son of a farmer,became a priest and a founder: this is quite anexceptional destiny that makes us look backand wonder what was the key to such a suc-cess. There are two ways to go astray when youwant to present a scheme illustrating historicalfacts: you either try to explain everythingthrough religion, or through human scienceslike history, sociology, economy, etc.”Retrieving and conveying the ‘spirit’ of LaValla required a unifying narrative that couldcombine symbolic language with the scien-tific vision of human sciences. The fact that

the little house Marcellin rented in1817, in which he lived until 1824,belongs to the realm of matter andphysics, and was built in a concretetime and space, falls under a scien-tific view that gathers informationaccording to its own method: thehouse is an object you can touch andsee, which you can smell – humidity,

Joan Puig-Pey LA VALLA, A HOUSE FULL OF RADIANT LIGHT

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The three floors of La Valla

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April 2016 • 9

old wood, flowers in the garden – whose noisesyou can listen to, and at a temperature you canmeasure and regulate. It is an aging object, whichunderwent a fire, was rebuilt and expanded. Usinghuman sciences, we could study it under the lightof history, geography and economy.But we also needed a symbolic approach to “tell”the House subjectively through symbols andmetaphors, poetry and art. How can we touch Mar-cellin when visiting his House, how can we feel hisspirit? In the metaphysical realm, the measure ofspacetime becomes relative, and we perceive whatis absent through the mediation of what is pres-ent. This is how we could open our imagination tothe 19th century, and perceive the first Brothers’‘apostolic breath’. Different texts were progres-sively complementing and enriching the remodel-ing project, enabling informed visitors toexperience the encounter they expect.In the same article, Lanfrey goes on saying thateach person and every society somehow rest onthree key anthropological notions, which are rele-vant in the analysis of both a secular destiny anda religious journey. “First, mysticism indicates something that tran-scends us and lays outside ourselves, which can besecular – good, beauty, humanity – or have to dowith divinity. Second, utopia is the project of re-newing the world according to a peaceful and idealscheme. And third, institutions, the bodies in chargeof ensuring people’s common good in the future(state, Church, school, etc.), which use manage-ment as a valuable instrument”.Lanfrey concludes his article by considering thethree anthropological notions as structural pillars,and making a proposal that implies a wider mind-set and greater freedom: “Professional managers would consider Champagnatas a textbook example because somehow he was agood model of entrepreneur. In fact, his entire lifeshows he was able to combine – not perfectly butboldly enough – the three pillars on which everyhuman creation rests, be it either a company, aChurch, a nation or – more modestly – a Congrega-tion:The mystic pillar brings the kind of solidity that isfounded on transcendence, and the ability to trans-

fer a profane thought to the sacred domain. It gen-erates constancy and self-motivation. The utopic pil-lar is concerned about transforming the world, andis a source of inspiration and action. And the insti-tutional pillar confronts mysticism and utopia withreality and time”.The threefold scheme I had been working on im-proved thanks to this reflection, which gave richsymbolic meaning to each floor of the House. Butwhat architectural language could I use to expressit? At that point, I remembered the conversationI held in the summer of 2010 at the Hermitagewith Augustin Hendlmeier, a German Brother fromthe Province of Central-West Europe. Brother Augustin was silently watching the NewBuilding as he stood on the small bridge across theGier. He kindly greeted me when I walked by andasked me: “Are you the architect?” “Yes”, I replied.“I can tell you are an outstanding disciple of Miesvan der Rohe, the German architect and father ofthe Modern Architectural Movement of the 20th cen-

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tury!” I was very surprised and asked him: “And who are you?” “I’mBrother Augustin Hendlmeier”, he said. When he explained to me thathe lived in Dessau, the German city where this architectural stylewas born, I understood his remark. With the precision of an archi-tecture critic, Augustin almost quoted the words I myself had usedregarding the Hermitage, especially the New Building: “The New Styleof modern architecture is characterized by its functionality, great clar-ity, the unity of its forms and, above all, its great simplicity. Lookingat this new construction, I realize I’m witnessing the same style of the

Modern Architectural Movement that revolutionized Eu-rope in the 20th century which, in my humble opinion,perfectly reflects Marist simplicity”.With contained emotion, he went on saying: “The har-mony between the old and the new building is a real suc-cess. We must see this as the sign of rebirth into anew dimension of Marist history deeply rooted in thisplace, which also guarantees the continuity of our spe-cific character and spirituality.He ended up by expressing a deep desire: “Let us be in-spired by Saint Marcellin’s spirit, who would have cer-tainly greeted with eagerness this new symbol of hope.Let us be inspired by the renewed spirit of the Her-mitage!”It was clear. Modernity had to preside over the restruc-turing of La Valla so as to face the challenges of the21st century, using the same revolutionary language ofthe 20th-century pioneer architects who faced the chal-lenge of breaking free from Art Nouveau and Neoclas-sicism.

4. A TOUR INSIDETHE HOUSE

Despite its small size, several itineraries inside the ren-ovated La Valla House are possible, depending on theorder we follow when visiting the different floors. Eachitinerary offers a singular experience to the Marist pil-grims.In 2014, Brother Emili’s traditional message on thefeast of Saint Marcellin Champagnat explained thethree years of preparation for the Institute’s 200th

Foundation Anniversary in 2017 through the use of im-ages:

“To help us, three Marist icons will guide us on our journey.

Joan Puig-PeyLA VALLA, A HOUSE FULL OF RADIANT LIGHT

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First The ‘Montagne Year’: we are invited to becomeJesus for the Montagnes of today, to accompanythem in their journey with tenderness and gen-tleness.

Second The ‘Fourvière Year’: partners in mission, that is,gathered together around the figure of Jesus; onthe one hand, without looking back, but at thesame time, without separating ourselves fromJesus and simply going our own way.

And thirdly The ‘La Valla Year’: an invitation to cultivate themystical dimension of our lives, that personal en-counter with Jesus, the Bread of Life, so that wecan also give life in fullness to the people aroundus”.

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2. La Valla: First floor or

Upper Room. The mission

We already mentioned theimage of Mary in a hiddenniche after the small corridorwhen we enter the House. Atthat point we find the door toa bright and spacious stair-case leading to the UpperRoom. This name evokes the

“space” in which the experience of the Pentecost took place, and clearlyinsinuates what can happen in this floor. It is a four-meter high and spa-cious contemporary-style room. Three of the walls face outside, and ithas no decoration except for a small canvas on an easel that suggests apainting in progress. It portrays Marcellin next toa Brother, pointing at the Gier Valley with his arm,facing a horizon that is open to the future. Thepainting’s message is enough to fill the entire roomwith meaning: “Set out!” The fact that the paintingis unfinished indicates an ongoing message for ourpresent time: “If you listen to him today, do notharden your hearts!”Each architectural element in the room speaks abouttoday. The windows on each of the outside-facingwalls, for example, are like bridges between theinner and the outer worlds. Looking at them to-gether, they form an abstract pattern, a uniquegeometry of holes. The one facing East is so high thatit frames the sky. There is another same-sized andvertically aligned window underneath offering a hor-izontal sight towards Maisonnettes, the tiny villagewhere Brother François was born. On the South wall, asame-sized and vertically-aligned window brings our atten-tion to the neighboring school’s courtyard, and also offers

“You will receive thepower of the Holy Spirit,

which will come on you, andthen you will be my witnessesnot only in Jerusalem butthroughout Judea and Sama-ria, and indeed to earth’sremotest end” (Acts 1:8)

MONTAGNE: the Marist Mission

Joan Puig-Pey, Architect PROVINCE L’HERMITAGE, SPAIN

April 2016 • 19

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20 • FMS Message 46

a glimpse in the distance of the valley in which Notre-Dame de l’Her-mitage stands. Next to this window, we find the painting on an easelmentioned above.Another window of unusual proportions surprises the visitor. A one-meter-wide, four-meter-high, and one-meter-deep window aperture onthe façade faces La Valla, although you need to get very close to it ifyou want to see the town. The first thing you notice when you step for-ward is a huge France-Telecom antenna. Unheard of! We run into the 21st

century being inside the house: instant online communication, Internet,Twitter and Facebook... The world of the future enters the House of LaValla to challenge us! The Upper Room, large, white and bright... is anempty space welcoming the present and the future. The tongues of fireof the Holy Spirit descend today under the form of bits and QR codes!We are invited to become Jesus for the Montagnes of today, to accompanythem in their journey with tenderness and gentleness, Emili tells us. Yes!This space invites us to “look beyond our noses”, to widen our innerspace, to shed our light and lift our spirit so as to dream of a new worldand discover a new utopia. We can do this thanks to Marcellin’s inspiringcourage and abnegation, and following the first brothers, who set outin search of the most unexpected frontiers. The Upper Room of Cham-pagnat House is a prophetic space speaking to brothers and lay peopletoday. Are you also setting out…?Given the domestic nature of the House, this space is unique because ofits large proportions contrasting with the lower floors. At the same time,it is welcoming and unpretentious. With its delicate architectural struc-ture and modern language, it confirms – without imposing it – our vo-cation to face the evangelical mission today by traveling light. Thelanguages of fearless faith and innovative modern architecture meet atthe Upper Room in a complementary way, allowing us to hear the revo-lutionary voice of the Spirit, who whispers to Marists and architects alike:Come, open up, take a look…! Renew without fear!The Upper Room of La Valla confirms our faith with the fire of Pentecost,in the same way it confirms a unique way of being an architect for me:

Joan Puig-PeyLA VALLA: FIRST FLOOR OR UPPER ROOM. THE MISSION

giving witness to light, to new forms and colors,to a new sense of proportion and beauty at theservice of people. Confirmed in my profession –the field in which I collaborate with Him, with-out ever ignoring my responsibility in the con-struction of the world He wants – I can make thearrival of His Kingdom possible. Pentecost con-firms each brother and lay person in the Maristcharism, and in their particular gift as architectsof welcoming living spaces, in which the Mon-tagnes of today can find the rest, convivialityand dialogue they yearn for, tasting the Maristfamily spirit, and celebrating the experience ofHis peace and love.

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2. La Valla: Ground Floor:

Fraternity

Visitors arrive now at the geo-metric center of the House,and see in front of them thestairway leading to the base-ment, the old door on the rightto the room where the famoustable is, and another moderndoor on the left leading to thememorial room.

The ceiling is 2.6 meters high – a domestic proportion in contrast withthe Upper Room – and rests on rustic wooden beams, which somehowmatch the gray polished concrete floor with wooden inlays nailed in asthey used to do in those days. The walls made of natural stone combinedwith old lime plaster create a rough atmosphere with almost no deco-ration or any reference to the comfort we enjoy today. Only a Naïf-style painting next to the entry representing Marcellin’s encounter withthe Montagne boy, and a large fresco evoking a scene from a 19th-century one-room school, indicate that the place dates from a differentcentury.

We gather at the table around Jesus

We enter the Champagnat Room through the old door and find the firstbrothers’ dining table within a setting that has kept the same materialsMarcellin contemplated. It is a meeting point, a place for dialogue,where you recover strength and share with others. We gather at thetable around Jesus!

We go back to the groundfloor through the

large stairway filled withlight. It is the middle floorof the House and has di-rect access from the out-side without steps or otherobstructions.

“How good, how delightful it is to liveas brothers all together!”

(Ps 133: 1)

Joan Puig- PeyARCHITECTPROVINCE L’HERMITAGE, SPAIN

FOURVIÈRE: associated for mission

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April 2016 • 77

Gathered together around the figure of Jesus, thou-sands of lay men and women around the world feelcalled to live the Gospel like Mary, according to thetradition of Father Champagnat and the first broth-ers (Emili Turú).Our downward itinerary that began in the UpperRoom reaches this intermediate point symbolizingMarist fraternity, and we clearly sense that it needsthe support of a solid ground on which we canbuild the experience that makes people say “seehow they love one another”. Contemplating thetable of fraternity in its context, in this renewedspace we can easily reach without obstacles, sym-bolizes that the new access to the experience ofMarist fraternity is simple, spacious and resemblinga family. This is what Brother Emily himself wrotein the document quoted above: Our last GeneralChapter invited us to a new relationship betweenbrothers and lay people, to better serve the inspiringmission entrusted to us by the Church.

No mission is possible withoutcommunion

In fact, this new relationship is solid – and servesbetter the inspiring mission we confirmed in theUpper Room – when it rests on a fraternal experi-ence. Within the House, the space for mission liesabove the dining area where the table is, becauseno mission is possible without communion.We easily understand the religious and symbolicmeaning of the objects we see in this unobstructedspace: an image of Mary, and a painting portrayingthe Montagne story, two signs indicating theessence and quality of fraternity, which is not self-

enclosed, but linked to other levels of experience– such as this floor is connected with the othertwo within the House.

The table of a Council of Ministers

The experience of fraternity around the table isnot self-contained in the Champagnat Room: thereare windows opening to the outside world. Frater-nity is visible and expansive in any institutionwith a Christian ethos. As André Lanfrey states,within the institution – understood as the body re-sponsible for making the law and ensuring the com-mon good for the future of the humble congregation– management appears as an element of greatvalue”. Yes, management is essential in any struc-tured body. If the middle floor were empty, theHouse would be a prodigy of mystical devotionand missionary activity, but would lack the fraternalsoul that breathes and thrives on the contact andinteraction around a family-size table, where man-agement takes place quietly, mysticism and utopiaface reality, and we ensure our common good. Ifthe table was too big, it would give the impressionthat management prevails above all… It would bethe table of a Council of Ministers!Therefore, the symbolic and religious perspectiveallows us to see the institution as a body with asoul, as the body of Christ, the Church, in whichwe all drink the water flowing from the Lord him-self, from the same Spirit, as we will see and ex-plain afterwards in the basement.The origins of the Society of Mary remind us that,as religious and laity, we come together for mission,

Ground floor of La Valla. This floor correspondsto the intermediatelevel of the house,which is directlyaccessible from the outside.

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Joan Puig-PeyLA VALLA: GROUND FLOOR: FRATERNITY

On the left of the table of La Valla, before its renovation and on the right, after.

and are called to be the Marian face of the Church through our particularway of being and building Church, brother Emili tells us.The fact that the Marist memorial room (with the Naïf paintings) andthe image of Notre-Dame de Pitié are also on this floor is not only dueto architectural and functional reasons but has a special meaning: thehistory of the Marist origins starting in La Valla entails the cooperationbetween all present and future members in order to reach the unity ofa single human body, ensuring they all take care of each other and ex-cluding division.January 2, 1817, was a time of much effort, of growth and desertion, ofnew members, a difficult story that went on thanks to the Brothers’ coop-eration in unity, which generated a particular ‘visage’ and way of being.The architectural reform now allows us to understand better how LaValla House tells the story of a newborn community looking for an ex-perience of fraternity and solidarity among its members in order tobuild the Church. For this reason, the table and the memorial room areon the same floor.

What inspired, consolidated and drove the firstbrothers forward?

And this brings us to a final question: What inspired, consolidated anddrove the first brothers forward? We can answer without a doubt that itwas the experience of fraternal communion, which ignited their soulsand hearts, and led them out of La Valla to explore new horizons. Thefact of finding the image of Our Lady of Sorrows (Notre-Dame de Pitié)in the same space as the table reminds us that the road is hard, thatmoving forward is often painful, and it helps us understand better thisfirst chapter of our Marist story.

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2.La Valla: The Basement.

Mysticism

The lower level of Champag-nat House is a basementmostly excavated from therock. The restoration hascleaned it up, respecting itsoriginal size, and leaving italmost intact: visible carved

rock, rough stone masonry, and lintels with old wood remains. Thereare few decorative objects: the huge stone on which the first brothersused to forge nails, and a cross in the most intimate area of the smallvaulted cellar... The basement has three consecutive small and darkrooms, with an intermittent water spring. A ten-step metal staircasedescends into it from the ground floor.We can perfectly read the story of the Foundation’s early days in 1817in this space: a typical 19th-century farmhouse construction, forgingnails as part of a precarious economy, cold and damp winters, and ahard life without the convenience and comfort to which we are usedtoday.This space allows a powerful symbolic reading: going down into thebasement, into the hidden cellar within the house, evokes the ‘descent’into the space of mystical experience. There is an inscription evokingSaint John of the Cross presiding over the entrance to a very similarcellar in the Barefoot Carmelite convent of Fuenciscla in Spain:

“Lead us to the inner cellar, where life is in God transformed,where faith becomes bright and quiet,where death becomes life renewed”.

Mysticism is a referenceto transcendence laying

outside oneself, whether ofsecular nature – good, be-auty, humanity – or concer-ning divinity.

“Seek out the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near.” (Is 55:6)

Joan Puig- PeyARCHITECTPROVINCE OF L’HERMITAGE,SPAIN

LA VALLA: Inner space

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April 2016 • 123

It is the innermost dwelling, the kingdom of silenceand contemplative prayer, without fanfare, oftenin darkness. Ten steps lead down to this intimatespace. Ten, a number symbolizing completenessin the Scriptures: ten commandments of the law;ten lepers healed by Jesus; ten virgins waiting forthe bridegroom; ten silver coins belonging to thewoman in Luke’s parable... Ten steps leading withinourselves and symbolizing a path to fulfilment.The renewed La Valla House makes us realize with-out effort that both the consistency of our frater-nity and the purpose of our apostolic mission arebased on the mystical experience of unity withJesus in the depths of our heart.The staircase going down to the cellar is made ofthe same metal that covers certain walls of theHermitage and the walkway over the Gier River.This fact connects La Valla to the Hermitage, andalso means that the path into the depths of ourheart requires solidity and strength, the same at-titudes we need to go up from the old 19th-centurybuilding in the Hermitage to the new constructionsymbolizing the 21st century.

The cellar also evokes the fact that wine needs aconcrete amount of time to mature. We cannot stayforever in the intimate cellar, in this dark, moistand silent setting! When life is transformed, whenfaith becomes bright and quiet, we must go backupstairs to the fraternal room, and then set out tothe world, letting people ‘drink from us’ as witnessesto life renewed.In addition, there is an intermittent water spring inthe basement that flows only in the rainy season.This would be a big drawback in an ordinary house.In La Valla, however, it is rather powerful symbol:“From their heart shall flow streams of living water”– the gospel of John tells us. “Let anyone who isthirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in mecome and drink!” – Jesus himself proclaims.In a word, the La Valla basement states that a solidand full mystical experience is essential for a completeMarist spiritual life. The ‘cellar experience’ within our-selves sets the necessary foundations, and opens aninexhaustible source of energy; it keeps our soul ‘fit’,and prepares us to begin each day ‘in good shape’.André Lanfrey tells us in his article:

The basement floor of La Valla

Mysticism brings a kind of solidity that is founded on transcendence,and the ability to transfer a profane thought to the sacred domain. It generates constancy and self-motivation. But it can be reduced to esotericism and/or forgetfulness of the real world.

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124 • FMS Message 46

Joan Puig-PeyLA VALLA: THE BASEMENT. MYSTICISM

In order to avoid these two dangers – esotericism and alienation – wemust return to the ground floor and confront the mystical experiencewith the reality of our time, reading our life under a social perspective.We must climb up the ten steps, coming together again around thetable, rediscovering that the Marists, brothers and laity, are united inthe same life flowing from Christ, in which there is no room foranything esoteric or alienating.In this foundational place, Marcellin gathered his brothers around thetable and mystically made them become his own body, bestowing hisspirit on them, a spirit we can still perceive in La Valla today.We find the cross of Jesus in the intimacy and darkness of the La VallaHouse basement. The icon that pilgrims and visitors find at the end oftheir descending itinerary lights up the journey to the center of theirhearts. The cross invites us to worship and contemplate, and to takeit up in the following of Jesus. The silent and dark cellar transfiguresthe darkness of death into radiant light.In the renovated La Valla House, spirituality – people’s natural dispo-sition to delve into, share and develop the characteristics of theirspirit – finds an architectural, symbolic and religious expression thatdefines it without using many words.La Valla is bonfire, a powerful beacon of light for today’s world.Personally, the task and mission of renovating La Valla House hasbeen a kind of ‘cherry on the cake’ regarding my professional experiencein the Marist world, a journey that somehow began in 1988 when Iregistered my first daughter at Immaculate Conception Marist School inBarcelona. My son Pau – with whom I have shared great and uniqueexperiences of visual creation – was born that same year. Twenty-seven years later, we both have reached the maximum and radiantlevel of satisfaction in La Valla.

“I have received in abundance, and

in abundance I give” Le Corbusier,

architect 1887-1965