The first of his works to achieve international acclaim a decade ago was indeed rustic: the little chapel at Sogn Benedetg, a tiny hamlet frighteningly high on the almost vertical meadows of the valley of the Voder Rhein (AR January 1991).(3) Seen from between the houses at the foot of the field, Zumthor's building at first seems to be a shaggy keep covered in shingles that have now weathered according to their exposure: light ruddy brown and almost black on the more exposed flank, grey on the side against the hill.
High in the valley of a tributary of the Voder Rhein, the village has the only hot springs in Graubunden and has until recently had a very modest reputation as a charming but remote ski-resort and spa.