CMP Review 2023-12-14

December 14, 2023

In her book School Education, Charlotte Mason draws a distinction between interests and relations. “Interests may be casual, unworthy, and passing,” she explains. But when it comes to relations, she insists that “to make valid any one relation, implies that knowledge has begun in, at any rate, that one direction.”

When we added architecture to our homeschool curriculum, I’m not sure I was aiming for much more than interest. But I do believe we found a relation. It’s been a while since the books were closed, but our eyes and ears remain open and attentive when our travels bring us to interesting buildings, especially churches.

We had read about how the Romanesque style gave way to the Gothic style in Europe. How interesting then to find that the crypt of the Washington National Cathedral contains a beautiful Romanesque chapel. This design choice was a nod to the fact that many medieval Gothic cathedrals were built on the foundations of earlier Romanesque churches.

During our recent visit to Washington, DC, we admired the cathedral’s architectural features, from the crypt to the tower. An unexpected delight was to find the room where a team is building the world’s largest cathedral made entirely from LEGO® bricks. The work-in-progress gave us yet another view into the art and engineering that makes a building great. And we got to lay a few bricks ourselves!

@artmiddlekauff