The Art of Architecture: Minecraft Architecture: Barbarossa Cathedral

Cathedrals have always been the type of architectural masterpieces that I truly admire. These works of art use some of the most structurally complicated designs in the world. In Minecraft terms, building a large cathedral correctly takes time, planning, and a solid knowledge of the fundamentals used in real cathedrals. For the past five days or so, off and on, I've been designing and constructing my first true cathedral. (This is still a major work-in-progress.)

See the finished version in survival and explore my cathedral (with world download!) here:

Minecraft Architecture: The Final Tour of the Cathedral

After creating a new world on our Minecraft survival server, I decided I wanted to build a cathedral. I've always wanted to construct one of these massive beasts, but it is insanely difficult. I went through many designs and prototypes until I was able to make a foundation that was "small" enough for me to start a good cathedral. Most of you probably know that cathedral floor plans are made in the shape of a cross. After searching for "Cathedral Floor Plans" on the internet, I was able to get a good idea of how to start.

Roughly, the building as a whole is 31 blocks wide and 53 blocks long Before I made the walls, I built up the wood frame to outline the building and get an idea of where I was going. Before these wood frames were in place, I constructed a simple outline in the shape of a cross that I planned out in a special paint program. The cathedral has three towers: the two bell towers in the front and the third tower in the center-back part of the nave.

The roof is made out of dark oak wood planks and stairs with the spruce wood frame every so often. Each segment is separated using these frames. On top of the frame are fences that give the whole structure a more ornate and intricate appearance.

These walls are decorated with wooden archways and reinforced with a mix of stone brick stairs and polished andesite.

Rose windows are an important and essential part of a cathedral. Mine includes three rose windows: one on the front and two on either side of the nave. To create a fairly realistic appearance, I used an assortment of colored glass in a pattern. For this cathedral, I used blues, reds, purples, and greens.

At night, the cathedral is very beautiful. The torches on the wood frames outline the important parts of the building, like the roof and archways. These lights make the whole thing sparkle.

The third tower in the back consists of many layers. I added a stone archway in the front of each window to add some character and detail.

So far, this is the progress in the survival world. Our spawn is in a massive valley and this cathedral fits perfectly in it. I've completed the wood frame, placing over 1,400 spruce wood logs in the process. Over half of my time is spent gathering resources for this, and since we just started, ladders and dirt are essential to access the high vantage points on the cathedral. I named the new world after the largest land invasion of a country in history. So as the title of this post suggests, this is Barbarossa Cathedral. I've recently uploaded a YouTube video showcasing the progress I've made, and I'm planning on making many more! I'll be keeping this blog up-to-date also.