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 ...and St. Paul’s (for the third time). Two years ago I visited Salisbury Cathedral – at 404 feet it is the tallest cathedral in England. Bishop Poore laid its foundation stone in 1220; 110 years later stonemasons put the final touches on the tower and spire. The original architect had been dead many years, but his vision survived long after he was gone.
I am inspired by the craftsmanship and attention to detail in cathedrals. The majestic scale of the vaulted ceilings is amazing to me. But more than anything else, I am astounded by the vision of the original architects and designers. These men planned and built their cathedrals for permanence. They had a firm faith in the future, and they knew how to build structures that would last.
In the eighth chapter of Paul Johnson’s book Creators, he sums up the philosophy of the great Gothic architect A.W.N. Pugin,
“The way men build reflects the spiritual value of the culture.”
That is certainly true of the cathedral builders. They valued permanence, and their structures reflect it.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Architecture is frozen music.” I would change that slightly to “Architecture is frozen theology.” How men build reflects what they believe. Their theology is “frozen” in the structures they create.
The Apostle Paul used the metaphor of building frequently in his writings. He said to the Corinthians,
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.” (I Corinthians 3:10)
An expert builder is conscious of the future. Like the architects of the great cathedrals, he builds for many generations.
Flagstaff is a ghost town in the extreme western part of Maine. In the late 1940’s, the Central Power Company announced plans to flood the town and build a hydroelectric dam on the Dead River. In the months before the flood, all improvements and repairs in the town ceased. The attitude of the townspeople reflected their view of the future. Why paint your house if water will cover it in six months? Why mend your fence if the whole village is going under the waves? Why patch your roof when the water is coming anyway? Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.
The cathedral builders valued permanence; they built for others who would come after them. They had a faith in the future, and the quality of their workmanship reflected it. I admire them because I value permanence also; I want to build spiritually for others who will come after me. It’s my “frozen theology.”
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