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THE CHURCHES of medieval Europe were essentially anonymous. Abbot and artist, builder and craftsman gave of their talents together for the greater glory of God. The Church was His, and there was room in it for all who aspired to work in His name. The results, in parish church as well as great cathedral, remain the chief glories of our cultural heritage, standing also as measure of our loss. With the decline of faith during the Renaissance and the rise of the modern temper, the great church buildings became monuments to an earlier unity, and men created more and more in their own name rather than in His who is the soul of all created things.
In this perspective the cathedral-church of Bryn Athyn is unusual among modern structures. You will search in vain among its stones and glass for the signatures of men. To build worthily for the worship of the Lord was the aim; and the means, neglected for centuries, was found in the planning and fashioning of the work on the site, in a harmonious sphere like that of the Middle Ages but infused with the vision of a new revelation of His Word. The Bryn Athyn Cathedral speaks for itself and of God; but because it is uniquely beautiful and historical in our day, its erection is worthy of record in word and picture.
Such a record was suggested when the foundations were being laid in 1913, while first departures from modern architectural and building practice were contemplated. Raymond Pitcairn, entrusted with the building of the church, hoped to tell its story. His would have been the fitting hand, having accepted the charge with enthusiasm and carried it through with a rare combination of vision and perseverance. But a life devoted to many pursuits, civic and cultural as well as business, precluded his writing this book. Late in a fruitful career he commissioned the work. Some of its chapters he reviewed in draft; but before it was completed, he died in July 1966.
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| Image ID: | 328 | | Title: | Tesserae for Glencairn mosaic | | Source: | Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn Archives, Bryn Athyn, PA | | Photographer: | Ed Gyllenhaal | | Date: | February 2006 | | Medium: | Digital camera image | | Description: | Individual tesserae for mosaic were stored in drawers, one for each color. “It was then put into these boxes, so that it could be stored. In each of these there were about twenty-five pounds of this material. We would take a sample out of this, and keep it so that we had access to it, and we’d paint the formula number on the end of the box, and then stack it in these racks” (Gunther, Ariel. Transcript of Bryn Athyn glassmaking lecture. Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn Archives, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania). By the time the project was finished, a vast amount of unused mosaic had accumulated, which still survives today. |
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Recent Fun Facts & Announcements
New Church History Fun Facts and General Announcements
Several days ago we published our 100th New Church History Fun Fact, an online initiative begun in the summer of 2006. Thank you for your support over the past four years. The staff at NewChurchHistory.org are currently evaluating whether or not to continue the Fun Facts initiative. We are conducting a short survey to help us with this process, and to give you an opportunity to tell us...[more]  Visitors to the city of Stockholm who find themselves with an hour or two to spare can enjoy a walk in Swedenborg’s old neighborhood, in the city’s Södermalm distr...[more]
 It’s July, and the roses are blooming in Swedenborg’s summerhouse garden at Skansen, an open-air museum in Stockholm, Sweden. The rose garden at Skansen, designed in 1964 by th...[more]
 The meaning of the complicated apocalyptic imagery that pervades the Book of Revelation is a subject of debate for both Christian and secular scholars. However, in th...[more]
 “Emanuel Swedenborg’s theological first editions are rich with ornaments. Swedenborg sent his theological contribution into the world heavily and consistent...[more]
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