Green Cathedral - a living sanctuary for the future

Near Bergamo, in northern Italy, at the foot of Mount Arera, a...cathedral has been growing for several years. It is literally growing, because 42 beech trees have been incorporated into its structure and in 20-25 years they will form the walls and roof of the cathedral with their branches and leaves. The green cathedral is the work of Italian artist Giuliano Mauri.

The Green Cathedral, Giuliano Mauri's spiritual legacy

Giuliano Mauri, also called the weaver of the forest, was known for creating works of natural architectureă. He used branches, pieces of wood and other organic materials, which he wove together to create natural works, sometimes ephemeral because of the materials they were made of. Totally in love with wood and nature, he started building a living cathedral at the base of Mount Arera in 2009. That same year the artist died, and the work was completed in 2010 by his son and collaborators.

The cathedral of plants - the cathedral of trees or the green cathedral, as it has been called - is the artist's testament and spiritual legacy, a memorial to his work and life. It will continue to grow and form as if the artist were still there. Beeches planted will join their branches and form the walls and roof over time, in memory and to the immortality of the artist.

In time the transition will be made from the work of man to that of nature

The 42 constructed columns together form a basilica with 5 naoses (ships). Pillars of fir, chestnut and hazel branches were woven together to create support structures for the 42 beech trees that are planted inside. All these structures represent the columns of the cathedral. As planned, as the beech trees grow, the structure around them will be damaged, making a smooth transition from the work of man to that of nature.

To give you an idea of the size of the vegetable cathedral here are some figures. It used 1,800 fir poles, 600 chestnut poles, 6,000 metres of hazel branches joined together with nails, nails and small pieces of wood. It occupies 650 m², over 30 m long and 27 m wide. The height varies between 5 and 25 m.

The Green Cathedral is one of the most impressive plant structures in the world. But it's not the only one created by the artist. In 2001, as part of Arte Sella, an exhibition of natural environmental art was created near Trento, Italy, another impressive natural cathedral.