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Canterbury Cathedral, view of the Western Towers, engraved by J.LeKeux after a picture by
G.Cattermole, 1821, showing the entrance before it was rebuilt.
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I work predominantly in two different art forms—the fast
painting and the short essay. I like the immediacy of laying paint and words down
quickly. In that, I am very much a child of my time. Ours is an age of fast
assault.
Ten years ago, I planted a beech tree at a local church,
knowing it would never reach maturity in my lifetime. That was frustrating enough.
The centuries-long effort required to build the medieval cathedral is
completely beyond my conception.
“I am particularly struck by the perseverance required to
bring these incredible places to light and life,” Rev. John
Nicholson messaged. “To think of my grandchildren attending a dedication
service for something I began is mind-boggling. I am sure our paltry,
microwavable theology would not sustain such an effort.”
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Canterbury Cathedral: the Corona, shrine to Thomas Becket, David Iliff, License: CC-BY-SA 3.0
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The visionary who conceived a cathedral had no guarantees
that his work would endure. Consider Canterbury Cathedral. Founded in 597 by
Augustine, it originally consisted of an Anglo-Saxon nave, narthex and side
chapels. It was destroyed by fire in 1067 and completely rebuilt from 1070 to
1077 under the first Norman archbishop, Lanfranc. The east end was immediately
demolished by his successor and the nave doubled in length.
The murder of Thomas Becket turned the cathedral into a
place of pilgrimage, necessitating another enlargement of the east end to
accommodate his shrine. This and the
choir were then rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174. The
Norman nave and transepts survived until the late fourteenth century, which is also
when the massive crossing tower was added. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries,
Becket’s shrine was pillaged and most objects of value carried off by the
Crown.
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Canterbury Cathedral: West Front, Nave and Central Tower, Hans Musil, 2005
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We modern evangelicals live in mini-mansions and go to
church in graceless buildings that look like barns. The medieval mind thought
it appropriate to live in barns and worship in celestial mansions. “They had a much clearer vision of the
difference between themselves and God,” messaged Laura Turner.
“Our God is too small,” added John Nicholson.
Message me if you want information about the coming year’s classes and workshops.
