Paris is a city with a lot to grab your attention. But when you’re done with the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the rest, and need something a little more edgy, the Notre-Dame de Pentecôte church is the site to check out.

What’s so special about it? Well, to put it bluntly, the giant translucent glass wall out front.

In fact, this building couldn’t be edgier. Designed by Paris-based architect Franck Hammoutène, the church defies expectations and provides a thoroughly contemporary take on the concept of a place of worship. His brain-child took the international design community by storm and the building won the DuPont Benedictus Award in 2002.

What’s so special about it? Well, to put it bluntly, the giant translucent glass wall out front. This 115-feet tall can be seen from kilometres away but is only about 31 inches thick. It’s a spectacle, believe me. And behind the wall, as it were, is a church unlike any other.

It’s not just the exterior that surprises, however. Make your way in and details like the flame-shaped pulpit, and the chairs that unfold to create linked rows of benches, will immediately impress. Take a close look at the portrait of the Virgin Mary – doesn’t it remind you of many images of the Buddha? Further evidence that in Notre-Dame de Pentecôte, you have your feet firmly planted in the modern day.

Don’t miss this marvel of modern architecture. Visiting this building is a humbling, somehow traditional, yet inescapably modern experience.

Notre-Dame de Pentecôte
1 place de la Défense, La Défense
92053 Paris