Letter 15

From: Desiderius of Cahors, bishop To: Caesarius, Bishop of Clermont Date: ~635 AD Context: Desiderius of Cahors, letter 15 to Caesarius of Clermont; on the construction of churches and the theology of Christian worship spaces. To the most holy Caesarius, my dear brother, The building of the cathedral at Cahors has been not just an administrative project but a theological education. In the process of thinking about what the building should be and do, I have had to articulate more clearly than before what I believe a church building is for. A church is not merely a meeting place or a shelter for liturgy. It is, in some real sense, an image of the heavenly Jerusalem — a space that has been set apart for God's presence and that shapes those who enter it through its proportions, its light, its imagery, its orientation. When people enter a well-built church and feel a sense of reverence and peace, that is not accidental; it is the building doing what a building can do to prepare the soul for worship. This has practical implications for what I am building. The building should be oriented correctly. The light should fall in ways that enhance the sacred atmosphere rather than disrupting it. The imagery should teach and inspire — the figure of Christ in majesty, the stories of the saints, the symbols of the faith that a literate person will recognize and an illiterate person will grasp through repeated exposure. I want the people of Cahors to feel, every time they enter this building, that they are in a place where heaven and earth meet. That is an aspiration that guides every decision we make. Your brother who is also an amateur architect, Desiderius