Cutters, Carvers & the Cathedral

By: George Ancona
Publisher: Lee & Low Books, 1995
Age Level: 9-12
Language: English
ISBN: 0-688-12056-3

For more than one hundred years, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine has been under construction. Workers from Indiana to New York, from France to Nigeria, have contributed their abilities and labor and time, decade after decade. And although the cathedral is still unfinished, services are held there, festivals are celebrated, and the helpless and homeless are fed, clothed, and befriended within its walls.

Noted photographer George Ancona follows the awesome process of building the stonework of a cathedral–from the quarrying of the limestone hundreds of miles away, to the cutting of the 11-ton stone blocks, to the creation of the magnificent carvings to adorn it–that brings together people of many backgrounds and skills to create a lasting monument to faith.

These photographs ensure that young readers will recognize the differences and appreciate the differences.

RECOGNITION

A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, 2001

REVIEWS

“Takes grade-schoolers from the limestone quarries of Indiana to the carved columns of New York’s Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Talent, technology, and teamwork play leading roles in this drama. From the first blast of dynamite to reveal a limestone seam to the final tap of a chisel on an intricate cornice, Ancona zooms in on the faces behind the form, the quarriers and carvers who transform a wall of rock into a majestic monument”.
– House Beautiful