World's first 'tree cathedral' takes root in Italy
September 2, 2010 4:01 AM   Subscribe

World's first 'tree cathedral' takes root in Italy The remarkable work designed by Italian environment artist Giuliano Mauri [Italian Wikipedia link], who died last year, has been completed after months of work and presented as one of the initiatives marking the International Year of Biodiversity.
posted by aqsakal (24 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
It's not the first, there is one in Milton Keynes. High unimpressive though it is.
posted by fire&wings at 4:16 AM on September 2, 2010


Google Translate'd version
posted by mhjb at 4:39 AM on September 2, 2010


This is a really neat idea. I'm already thinking of tweaks and improvements for the one I'll never plant.
posted by DU at 5:00 AM on September 2, 2010


What about Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge New Hampshire? http://www.cathedralofthepines.org/
posted by bluzshark at 5:00 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


What's a tall, straight, deciduous tree that will grow in (or better yet is native to) Zone 5? Should look like a pillar.
posted by DU at 5:05 AM on September 2, 2010


From what I can tell, Cathedral of the Pines is some benches in a forest. Not actually shaped trees.
posted by DU at 5:08 AM on September 2, 2010


DU: I think what you are looking for is the Lombardy Poplar...
posted by jim in austin at 5:31 AM on September 2, 2010


May I be the first to say Catreedral.
posted by Biru at 5:53 AM on September 2, 2010 [5 favorites]


I was expecting to see some sort of structure fashioned from manipulated living trees rather than just logs lashed together.

From the first link: In the future 42 beeches will grow inside the cathedral and nature will be allowed to take its course to complete the work.


So it looks like that is the plan, but for now I too am less than impressed. The idea does remind of a scene in The Pillars of the Earth where Tom Builder is convincing the Prior of Kingsbridge to let him build a new cathedral and uses the tall, graceful arches made by trees in the forest to illustrate his vision of what the cathedral will look like.
posted by TedW at 5:54 AM on September 2, 2010


Burhanistan: some sort of structure fashioned from manipulated living trees rather than just logs lashed together.

That's what it will eventually be. This is just the framework. In the future 42 beeches will grow inside the cathedral and nature will be allowed to take its course to complete the work. [from the first link]

And thanks, fire&wings, for the link to the MK one. I hadn't heard of that.
posted by aqsakal at 5:54 AM on September 2, 2010


Er, or what TedW said while I was still typing...
posted by aqsakal at 5:54 AM on September 2, 2010


I actually like that one better than the new one.

I prefer the Milton Keynes one because it looks like a lot of trees planted in a cathedral pattern but otherwise unmolested.
posted by pracowity at 5:56 AM on September 2, 2010


What's a tall, straight, deciduous, clear trunked and tree-looking tree that will grow in (or better yet is native to) Zone 5? Should look like a pillar.

Shouldn't be too umbrella-shaped or it won't work, but definitely shouldn't look like a tall shrub. Or maybe I should just accept that pine is the tree I want.
posted by DU at 5:57 AM on September 2, 2010


I was expecting something like the Circus Trees - but those take a lot longer than "months of work"!
posted by moonmilk at 6:31 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


You should've seen the first one, it was made of straw. But someone blew it down.
posted by XMLicious at 6:32 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


Unclear what you're looking for...Can the pillar have branches?

Tall, narrow trees are known in the trade as "columnar."
posted by ecourbanist at 6:34 AM on September 2, 2010


I'm not sure what I'm looking for either. But a lot of trees have branchy, gnarled trunks and I think that would look too....Tim Burton's Red Riding Hood. But I also don't want a columnar tree, because to my mind that's not a TREE tree. Just a generic tree like a kid would draw. Straight tall trunk, branching but only up high. This is pretty good but not deciduous.
posted by DU at 6:46 AM on September 2, 2010


There's also a Green Cathedral below sea level in the Netherlands (actually: two), which has a cousin made of basalt boulders near the sea.
posted by mbn at 6:52 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]




I've been to Cathedral of the Pines in New Hampshire. It's more than just benches in the woods, but isn't custom planted either. There is a small structure there and away from it a bit is a view through the trees to a large mountain in the distance. In front of that are some large rocks that make a sort of presentation stand so they've setup the benches behind that so folks can have a ceremony from the stand while looking at the mountain, etc. Very nice.
posted by jwells at 7:17 AM on September 2, 2010


What's a tall, straight, deciduous tree that will grow in (or better yet is native to) Zone 5? Should look like a pillar.

American beeches are a quite decent choice, and perhaps a little faster growing than white pine. I love the beech groves we have at the cottage. Very cathedrolic.
posted by bonehead at 8:53 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


(and I'm in zone 4, I should add).
posted by bonehead at 8:53 AM on September 2, 2010


While it's not made of trees, I imagine Thorncrown would have a similar feel (via).
posted by homunculus at 9:02 AM on September 2, 2010


Beeches ain't shit.
posted by rocket88 at 10:59 AM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


« Older So this rocky outcrop in the Atlantic, it vibrates...   |   A Widow's Journey. Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments