O blest creator source of light...

Grace Episcopal, where I attend church in New York, is currently undergoing restoration. It's a gorgeous Gothic revival church, but right now they're working on the chancel aisles, which means that there is currently scaffolding covered by white tarp on both sides of the chancel. They're hoping to have this done by Easter, which would be an incredible reveal, to speak in theatrical terms.

I have developed a minor obsession with Medieval architecture, particularly in regards to religious buildings (I went to the Cloisters yesterday and reveled). This began on my Europe trip and has grown since then. I'm fascinated by the transition from Romanesque to Gothic, how the pointed arches distributed weight and allowed buildings to be built taller with more opportunities for windows. Light. Light light light.

Something that I think I knew in the back of my head but didn't quite realize until I went to Chartres was that these buildings were not built to look gloomy. We see these buildings, and they're old, the stone is dark, often the glass is too, but that's not how they were built, that's what's accumulated around them over the years. Check out these pictures of the restoration of Chartres. The difference is obvious - the stone is closer to white than brown, and I just imagine how the place will change when that restoration is done.

Similarly, I love to gaze at the south transept at Grace, the restoration of which was recently completed. Pictures here. There is so much light, so much air, it's breathtaking.

One of the many things I find so beautiful about these places is the contrast. Stone, this heavy substance, strong and powerful, creating a space for such beautiful light. We need each other.

Lux æterna luceat eis, Domine,

cum sanctis tuis in æternum,

quia pius es.

Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine;

et lux perpetua luceat eis ;

cum Sanctis tuis in æternum,

quia pius es.