Medieval Cathedral Project

In November 2022 I started my biggest project yet, a "realistic" medieval cathedral. The project is on the Medieval Realms server. This is a 100% survival build, with no blueprints allowed. This means I need to gather the resources, place each element one at a time, without the use of fly mode. It is a gradual long-term build so I have no idea when it will be completed. The cathedral is my own design, but draws inspiration from many real-world cathedrals including Cologne Cathedral, Notre Dame and Milan Cathedral. I thought I would make a post to document the construction process.

As of the 31st December 2023

General metrics:

Dimensions = 208 blocks long, 106 blocks wide, 172 blocks tall

Number of construction elements = 66,817

Construction time = 480 hours

Fatal falls = 1

Broken legs = 7

Custom marble floor is mostly finished. about 7000 elements went into it.

Quote from Jita_La_Rotisor

Astonishing work!

I would like to learn from you.

haha well thanks, happy to answer any questions you have

Now that we have proper scaffolding I have started the detailing work on the exterior.

Yesterday marked 9 months since construction started. The southern tower is now getting close to completion, including the spire at 172 blocks tall. Work on the north tower is a fair way behind, and the central crossing tower only has its base. I have been working away on small details that are hard to notice unless you climb around up close. The main focus has been getting the north face of the cathedral up to scratch. The structure is up to 56,661 construction elements. I had estimated the structure would be 60,000 elements at completion, but it looks like it will be far more than that once I finish.

My goal is to get the core of the build to resemble a completed structure by the end of the year. I will continue adding details and features afterwards, but I don't want it to look like a construction site beyond then.

A progress update to end 2023. I did not quite meet my goal in time for the end of the year, but it is starting to look close to complete. I have made significant progress on the north tower, northern side of the nave, ambulatory and central spire. I think every key feature is in place, and completion now is mostly about finishing off the detailing. We are at 66,817 elements. Looking forward to adding more polish to the project in 2024.