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Cathedral

Cathedral by David Macaulay, 1973.

This is the story of the construction of a Medieval cathedral. The story takes place in a fictional town in France, Chutreaux, but it is based on the construction of real Medieval cathedrals.

In 1252, the people of Chutreaux decide to build a new cathedral because their old cathedral was badly damaged by a lightning strike and other towns in their part of France are building grand cathedrals. The people know that it takes decades to construct a grand cathedral, perhaps even more than 100 years. The people making the decision to build the cathedral know that they will never see the end of the construction themselves, but they believe that this is an important undertaking, both for the welfare of their community in the future and for the glory of God.

The church leader in Chutreaux is the bishop, but a group of clergymen have been given control of money for the cathedral project. They have chosen to hire a Flemish architect, William of Planz, to create the design for their cathedral and hire the craftsmen who will actually build the cathedral.

Building a cathedral is a massive undertaking that requires many different types of craftsmen and laborers. The book explains that the craftsmen building the cathedral will include a quarryman, a stone cutter, a mason, a sculptor, a mortar maker, a blacksmith, a carpenter, a glass maker, and a roofer. All of these craftsmen are masters of their crafts, with apprentices, assistants, and many general, unskilled laborers doing much of the heavy work.

The building of the cathedral begins with the clearing of the site, marking the basic layout of the building, and building workshops where the craftsmen will be doing their work. The book shows the tools that the various types of craftsmen use. They also need to gather the materials that they will use. There is a quarry where they will cut the limestone blocks they will use to construct the cathedral, and the wood for the roof is brought from Scandinavia by boat.

From there, the cathedral is built in stages, beginning with the foundation and then the walls. The book explains each step of the construction and how it was managed, giving the dates when each phase is completed. It also explains the purpose of various architectural features, such as the flying buttresses that support the walls. There is also a glossary in the back of the book that defines various architectural terms.

Because this is an extremely long-term project, over the course of the book, William of Planz and various craftsmen age and one person dies in a work-related accident, and they are replaced by younger people. The construction is finally finished 86 years after it was started.

I recommended this book to people after the burning of Notre Dame in Paris last year because this cathedral is similar to Notre Dame and can give people an idea of what went into its construction. I think that the time invested in the cathedral construction is one of the key points of the story. The ability to delay gratification in the pursuit of larger goals is an important life skill, but the people who began the cathedral project showed this ability to an even higher degree than most. The book carefully notes that the people of this town understand that they will never see the final product of their contribution of money and labor because the project will take decades to complete, but they still begin the undertaking because they believe that it is the right thing to do for their community, for future generations, and for God. Their ultimate reward is not in immediately profiting from this project but in their legacy, laying the foundations (literally) for the future. In the end, it is their grandchildren who become the ones to complete the project and enjoy the beauty of the finished cathedral, and they consider it more than worth the wait.

The book was also made into a documentary film. The film follows the basic course of the book but with more focus on the lives of the characters, giving them more personality than the book does and inserting more drama into the construction of the cathedral. The story of the town and townspeople alternates with explanations about the history and architecture of cathedrals. The fictional cathedral serves as an example not only of the process of constructing a Medieval cathedral, but the difficulties and dangers it might involve.

The book is available to borrow and read for free online through Internet Archive (multiple copies).

Posted on by TracyC

For Those Thinking of Notre Dame …

Sometimes, current events remind me of the events of children’s books. I debated about bringing this one up because I haven’t gotten hold of this particular book recently (partly because I’m probably not the only person who’s thinking about it right now), and I don’t have a proper post prepared for it, but years ago, a teacher introduced my class to Cathedral by David Macaulay. David Macaulay wrote a series of children’s books, explaining the architecture of historical buildings, including one about the construction of Gothic cathedrals, like Notre Dame in Paris.

The pictures in these books are fascinating, which is why I’m sorry that I don’t have a proper post prepared with example pictures. (I’ll probably do one later, when I can get hold of the book again) The book is available in multiple copies through Internet Archive, although there is a waiting list to get it right now.

However, the book was also made into a documentary film. Part of the story-line involves a fictional Medieval town replacing their cathedral after their first cathedral was destroyed by fire. (In the book, the cathedral was damaged by lightning, not destroyed by fire. The two stories aren’t the same.) This fictional cathedral serves as an example of the process of constructing a Medieval cathedral and the difficulties and dangers it might involve. The story of the town alternates with explanations about the history and architecture of cathedrals. This short clip explains the basic architecture of a Gothic cathedral, using Notre Dame as an example toward the end.

One of the aspects of the story that I find most inspiring is the dedication that the people who funded and built the cathedral showed. The construction of a cathedral in the Middle Ages could take a lifetime or even longer, and not everyone who began the task would live to see its completion. Their motivation was not mere personal gain but a glorious accomplishment that would both honor their beliefs and last far beyond them.

I’m not sure how long it will take to complete the renovations after the fire that damaged Notre Dame, but whatever it takes, I’m sure it will be worth it.

Posted on by TracyC

Tornado Jones

TornadoJonesTornado Jones by Trella Lamson Dick, 1953.

This book was recommended by a reader of this blog.  I haven’t been able to find a copy of it myself, but the reader thoughtfully supplied a picture of the cover.

The reader says:

“I lived in North Platte Nebraska from about February of 1953 till about April of 1955. During that time a book was written by Trella Lamson Dick entitled “Tornado Jones”. Everyone in my school in North Platte read that book many many times. We all loved it. Trella Lamson Dick was born, lived and died in small town of Orleans, Nebraska, Just East and a bit South of North Platte Nebraska. I have two copies of the book one for each of my grandsons. It may be something you might look into investing in I know there are copies available.

It is about a boy whose parents had died and he lived with his Aunt on a farm. In his adventures he discovered people who were digging dirt out in a gully and a pit in the middle of prairie land and he could not figure out why. It turns out that the book is a work of fiction but it is based on fact about the determination that the ‘Jeffrey Reservoir’ East of North Platte could actually be built and would function.”

The orphan boy, Tornado Jones, also has a mystery surrounding his name.  He doesn’t like to talk about it with other people, but when he makes a friend (the first one he’s ever had), Paul, he finally confides that the only clue he has to his real name is a glass bell.  The secrecy surrounding his name has made him uneasy for his entire life.  Tornado also believes that there is gold buried in the canyon nearby, and when he sees people digging there, he is sure that’s what they’re looking for.  Paul is fascinated at the secrets Tornado confides in him, and he and Tornado team up to uncover both the secret of the gold and Tornado’s name.  At the same time, Tornado’s family is worried about the beginning of the reservoir and dam, the construction of which threatens to flood the family’s home.  Can they save their home or will they have to give it up in the name of progress?

This book won the Charles W. Follett Award and is actually the first in a series about Tornado Jones.  There are two others.