In the midst of the turmoil of war, 25-year-old theologian Roger Schutz bought a house in the small Burgundian village of Taizé in 1940, not far from the German-French demarcation line. Poverty, flight, and displacement shaped the daily life of the community, and time and again, Brother Roger took in those in need and seeking refuge in his home, until the Gestapo occupied the property while Schutz was in Geneva. After the liberation of France, he returned to Taizé with other clergy and cared for war orphans. The community around the priest steadily grew and developed into a spiritual center where faith and charity shaped everyday life. Today, Taizé has become a true pilgrimage site for people of all generations and denominations who come together there for prayer and contemplation.