Big old buildings.
As a historically Christian country, England is scattered with cathedrals of all shapes and sizes. This year in particular, I’ve found myself in some of the cities that house these massive constructions and made a point of going to visit them, if only to sit outside for a while and take in their enormity and grandeur. As I’ve sat there or wandered through them, I’ve been reflecting on what they mean as huge gestures in admiration of God.
I think it’s quite easy to look at cathedrals through a cynical lens of humans putting all their effort and resources into one large building to show off how good they are. Many cathedrals not only cost extortionate amounts to initially build and maintain but also the lives of their builders. If they are only a show of power and extravagance, these costs seem wasteful, pouring it out on one building that belongs to select people within the church of England. These could’ve been used in more thrifty ways, building a smaller centre for religious worship and instead putting the rest towards serving the community in more actionable ways. This makes cathedrals quite authoritative and depressing buildings, probably not worth our attention or admiration. Instead, they act quite like the tower of Babel – a show of human strength and vanity.
However, there are more hopeful and creative ways of experiencing cathedrals. Essentially, by putting the people and God back in the cathedrals, they become far more human and loving places. What I mean by this is that we need to think about the original builders, benefactors and attendees of the cathedrals. Likely, it was a regular congregation from the area who had such a passion and excitement in their faith and community, that they were needing more space to meet in. Yes, there’s a certain level of somebody rich wanted to show how religious they were, but there’s no point in building a cathedral in the middle of nowhere where no one’s going to go along. They’re usually in city centres, where there would be many people who want to go to church. Focussing on these people shows cathedrals as a centre of hope and faith for the many.
Putting the people into the funding and building again adds to the humanity and beauty of these cathedrals. In many cases, there was an element of crowdfunding for the construction of cathedrals. Although some of this will come out of a sense of obligation, with those who closely followed their faith and believed in the goodness of God, their donations will have been given from a place of wanting to give back to a God who’s already given so much. It’s a way of playing their small part in showing gratitude. With thankfulness running through the money used to pay for the building, this joy and love permeate the building.
This feeling extends to the constructors and builders. Many cathedrals have famous architects or designers, but the actual people on the ground are likely to be far more similar to average working-class people from the local area than any sort of nobility or celebrity. The builders were probably part of the community and equally fulfilling their job as a way of expressing their gratitude and using their creativity to give something back to the God they believe in and follow. With this as an underlying motivation for their involvement, it makes a lot more sense why there are so many stylistic features found in cathedrals as well as various people so willing to perform an incredibly dangerous job. When it’s seen as sacrificing your time and skills for the God you worship, it’s a much more worthwhile endeavour.
Having these stories of people at various stages of the cathedral construction who willed the process for it with their love and faith makes the buildings all the more incredible. Not only do they push the limits of architecture, they act as a beacon of creativity and gratitude in service to a far greater God. Seeing the differences in cathedrals across the UK and Europe show different communities using various materials that they deem to be most precious or special, taking on different styles and symbolism according to what things they value most and so want to lay before God. Suddenly these buildings are far more representative of congregations and the local area rather than rich benefactors who think they own the church.
In a way, we still see these things today. Admittedly, I haven’t recently heard of any new cathedrals being built. However, communities and churches are still building things in love and admiration of God. Whether these are food banks that feed locals, warm space groups to build friendships and care for those struggling with the cost of living, youth spaces, community choirs, homeless centres, charities, writing songs, creating art, producing films, jokes, these show people outpouring their gratitude into the things they do. Maybe these should be celebrated as much as cathedrals too, understanding that with time and habits, how we honour our faith changes. That doesn’t mean the old ways are bad or the new ways are better. It’s just alternative methods of doing the same things.
For some cathedral related listening, enjoy this song
All images are my own. Please seek permission before using them.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also fancy reading my explanation of denominations or my thoughts on faith.
Rebekah's Ramblings 
2 thoughts on “Cathedrals”