MetaFilter posts tagged with cathedral

Diver Bill

chuckdarwin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:40:14 -0800

Wearing an old-fashioned diving suit, William "Diver Bill" Walker worked in 14 feet of murky water beneath Winchester Cathedral, digging out the old timber and peat foundations and replacing them with bags of concrete cement and concrete blocks. Staying underwater six hours per day for five years (1906-1911), Diver Bill moved 25,800 bags of concrete and laid 114,900 concrete blocks, saving the Norman building from certain collapse. via BBC's brilliant radio 4 programme, Making History

Coventry Cathedral

Shotgun Shakespeare — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:56:37 -0800

On November 14, 1940, German bombers flew through the skies for nine hours above Coventry, England in a raid that Winston Churchill probably didn't know about but if he did, did nothing to prepare for. The bombers dropped thousands of pounds of explosives and incendiaries that resulted in hundreds of deaths and huge destruction. Coventry, perhaps best known before the war for naked horseback riding and the manufacture of pretty-but-malfunction-prone automobiles, was also home to a grand cathedral, St. Michael's Church, one of the greatest cathedrals in England. The cathedral was nearly destroyed; the fire left behind little but debris and the still-standing outer walls and spire. The next day found the townspeople sifting through the rubble inside the cathedral's bones. The reaction of these people to the destruction of what was in many ways the center of their community took an unexpected turn over the course of the war, a course somewhat different than their government and military chose, and led to the formation of an international community dedicated to reconciliation projects around the world. Sir Basil Spence won a competition to design the new cathedral in Coventry. Rather than raze and rebuild the original structure, the decision was made to build a new, modern structure next to and incorporating the walls of the old St. Michael's Church. When it was completed in 1962, Benjamin Britten's War Requiem was premiered as part of its opening ceremony.

Im in ur city, burnin ur church

drstein — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:23:33 -0800

Paul David Addis has been arrested once again. You may remember him as the man that set The Man on fire 4 days early. This time he went after Grace Cathedral. This is the second SF church to be hit by attempted/successful arson in the past week.

Down down in the salt mine underneath the ground

dersins — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:20:00 -0800

Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland has been in operation for 800-odd years. Needless to say, this has given the miners plenty of time to carve some pretty amazing things. More photos here and here. Videos here and here. Virtual tour here. Wikipedia.

Master Manole

empath — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 13:33:30 -0800

Master Manole built the Curtea de Arges Monastery. According to legend, he couldn't complete the work without sacrificing someone dear to him, and his hubris upon completing the work lead him to a tragic end. It's a touching story, and now you can play the game.

Don Justo

adamvasco — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 05:07:30 -0800

Don Justo's self built Cathedral This is no "model" cathedral and he is neither a qualified architect, nor engineer, nor bricklayer -- he is a farmer, ex monk and his vision. "metaphoric learnings for contemporary alternative initiatives"

Salisbury Cathedral

plep — Sun, 21 Sep 2003 02:46:05 -0800

Virtual tours of Salisbury Cathedral. Views and essays.

runthegamut — Mon, 19 Aug 2002 11:46:28 -0800

Trio arrested in Virginia for alleged sex act in cathedral. Copulating couple and their radio commentator co-conspiritor violated sanctity of church. Maybe if he'd been an altar boy...

zanpo — Thu, 20 Dec 2001 08:32:26 -0800

The Dark Side of the Washington National Cathedral. Is this real? If so, why would they put an icon of evil on the outside of this place, "intended for national purposes, such as public prayer, thanksgiving, funeral orations, etc.,and assigned to the special use of no particular Sect of denomination, but equally open to all."