Earlier quoted context omitted.
So what's he been up to?
9/11 conspiracy theories, climate denialism, white supremacy mostly.
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The cathedral that failed
21–30 of 31 posts
Re: The cathedral that failed
#22Re: The cathedral that failed
#23I visited London right after I read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and we ended up in a cathedral off Fleet Street (I was quite disappointed that my mental image from the books was a 20m wide open sewer and in fact the buildings today might only be 5m apart close to the Thames) which was designed by Christopher Wren after the London Fire.
I don't recall the name, I'm sure someone here who knows London can work it out from my description, but you could go up into the dome and I remarked to myself that the fall to the marble floor from the highest opening in the dome could easily kill a man.
I've probably repeated this story here half a dozen times now, but in the background information posted at the church it said that he had so many people wanting to commission him for building their church yesterday that he built them without bell towers with an agreement that once everyone was back in business, he'd come back around and build the towers on. Seeing how complex those domes were, I'm not quite clear why adding a tower later was a substantial savings in time and effort but that's the story.
Re: The cathedral that failed
#24I visited London right after I read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and we ended up in a cathedral off Fleet Street (I was quite disappointed that my mental image from the books was a 20m wide open sewer and in fact the buildings today might only be 5m apart close to the Thames) which was designed by Christopher Wren after the London Fire. I don't recall the name, I'm sure someone here who knows London can work it o…
A Cathedral? Off Fleet Street? Built by Wren? That's only St Paul's, one of the most famous buildings in the city ..
If you'd gone up the dome, it has a "whispering gallery" where if you whisper along the wall it echoes round and can be heard on the other side.
Due to the great fire of 1666, a lot of London churches were built by Wren. He has a distinctive style.
Re: The cathedral that failed
#25I visited a different sort of "Cathedral that failed". In Manresa, Catalonia there is a basilica named Santa Maria de la Seu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria,_Manresa
My fiancée, acting as my native guide, informed me that Manresa was once in competition to be the seat of a bishopric, and this grand church had been constructed as part of that bid, perhaps in the 9th century or so. It is sort of like how nations build Olympic stadiums in hopes of attracting that sort of honor.
Anyway, the bid did not succeed and the city remained within the jurisdiction of a more ancient see at Vic. https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisbat_de_Vic
Nevertheless, Santa Maria is a gorgeous sight, with flying buttresses and marvelous stonework. My impression from the visit is more of a tourist attraction and museum. We did not attend Mass at this location, if indeed it is held there.
We did, however, attend Mass at the Sagrada Família. In fact, I attended Mass at two distinct Sagrada Família churches: there is one (slightly less grand scale) in Manresa too. Unfinished and unconsecrated as it had been in 2008, Mass was not yet celebrated at the main altar, so our liturgy was a rather intimate experience in the Catalan vernacular in a side-chapel. (Unfortunately, we did not have time to tour the whole thing. I should've liked to see the crypt, the breathtaking main interior, and ascend one of the towers.)
We were also on a budget. When we arrived at the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (there are a lot of cathedrals, basilicas and churches in my stories of Catalonia) we were confronted with an admission charge. The Catholic faithful and guests are not charged to attend the sacred liturgy, but tourists are charged to be lookie-loos in the off-hours, and since we ignored the schedule of Masses, we were lookie-loo tourists, and the very thought of needing to spend money offended my fiancée, who considers herself a faithful Catholic woman. I consoled her with a gift shop visit.
While the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia is definitely a "finished work", you can see nearby an ancient Roman wall, which is of the type that were probably always under construction or subject to improvement by the occupying forces in Hispania.
Re: The cathedral that failed
#26I visited London right after I read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and we ended up in a cathedral off Fleet Street (I was quite disappointed that my mental image from the books was a 20m wide open sewer and in fact the buildings today might only be 5m apart close to the Thames) which was designed by Christopher Wren after the London Fire. I don't recall the name, I'm sure someone here who knows London can work it o…
Heh, "a" cathedral, St. Paul's! He didn't do many with a dome, St. Stephen's Walbrook the only one I can think of apart from St. Paul's. Most of his City churches are less grand, but no less interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christopher_Wren_churc...
Re: The cathedral that failed
#27Re: The cathedral that failed
#28>It is not uncommon for Gothic cathedrals to be left unfinished Let's not forget the spectacular Sagrada Familia. It's worth so much, unfinished that I assume Paris will learn from this with the Notre Dame.
Are many buildings ever really finished? I don't think people go to the Sagrada Familia because it is under construction. In fact I think more visitors would prefer more access with less equipment around. 150 years isn't really that long for a cathedral, this good article starts with the fact that the Bristol Cathedral took nearly 700 years to finish! https://theprepared.org/features-feed/2019/4/28/building-a-c...
I call them living buildings. Over the centuries they are remodeled and adapted countless times.
Here's a famous example from my country
Re: The cathedral that failed
#29I visited London right after I read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and we ended up in a cathedral off Fleet Street (I was quite disappointed that my mental image from the books was a 20m wide open sewer and in fact the buildings today might only be 5m apart close to the Thames) which was designed by Christopher Wren after the London Fire. I don't recall the name, I'm sure someone here who knows London can work it o…
> a cathedral off Fleet Street
If you're ever in America, there's an interesting tower block on 34th Street, and some civic buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue which are worth a look.
Re: The cathedral that failed
#30I visited London right after I read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and we ended up in a cathedral off Fleet Street (I was quite disappointed that my mental image from the books was a 20m wide open sewer and in fact the buildings today might only be 5m apart close to the Thames) which was designed by Christopher Wren after the London Fire. I don't recall the name, I'm sure someone here who knows London can work it o…
A Cathedral? Off Fleet Street? Built by Wren? That's only St Paul's, one of the most famous buildings in the city .. If you'd gone up the dome, it has a "whispering gallery" where if you whisper along the wall it echoes round and can be heard on the other side. Due to the great fire of 1666, a lot of London churches were built by Wren. He has a distinctive style.
Yeah St Paul's is how I discovered I still have a bit of acrophobia, and also that I need more exercise. I didn't have quite as much fun up there as was advertised.