Tag Archives: Churches

A chapel that won’t be assaulted

With their towering stone walls, crenelated turrets, and ornate decoration, medieval churches could almost be seen as castles–an idea helped in no small part by the frequency of medieval clergy acting like their secular counterparts. So whether this structure by KevinyWu belongs to the church or the state, the Fortress of St. Jocosa certainly prepared for what the world may throw at it. The fortress’ foundations are a nice bit of rockwork, giving a great feeling of a tiny castle perched upon a lonely rock, and the winding path leading to it, while using simple techniques of stacked dark tan plates, cuts a striking line through the scenery.

Click to see inside the fortress

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Behold the baroque beauty of this LEGO church

This baroque Church, created by builder Jellyeater, achieves the illusive feat of capturing an authentic sense of place. Numerous building techniques have been used to accurately capture the proportions, angles and curves of the baroque style, with the elegant dome being a stand out feature. However, when a creator gets me excited about the gradients of grey in a slate roof, I know I’m looking at something special.

This theme of exquisite detail is continued in the form of various modified plates, bricks and tiles used in the off-set courtyard tower; hinting at age, wear and centuries of repair. The oak doors, made from turntable bases layered over black bricks, completes the historical effect.

A very nice microscale church

With microscale building, a simple part choice can make all the difference. This church by Jens Ohrndorf is a great example of just the right detail; from the gold pyramids at the edge of the roof, to the repeated dome designs of the belltower. The gray trim is made by offset tiles, and the lovely curved roof details are a nice touch. Speaking of the roof, the different slope parts used for shingles give the model a weathered look.

Little church perfect for your little ant friends

LEGO builders can sometimes overcomplicate things, perhaps ignoring simple techniques because they feel obvious, regardless of how effective they might be. However, this microscale Lego church by Jens Ohrndorf goes to show you don’t need a thousand pieces and complex techniques to create something excellent. We’ve seen it before, but the minifigure hairpieces make for perfect treetops, and then there’s the use of the 1×2 brick with groove as the side windows — a simple yet effective parts choice.

Ancient abbey rests atop a mountain of support

Usually when writing about my own creation, I would take the opportunity to share some insights into my building process and what it takes to build something as large as this mountaintop abbey. Instead, I feel this creation is an example of how color, texture and composition can be combined to maximize the aesthetics of a build, especially one of this size. Like almost all of my builds, there are no crazy new techniques, and no unusually nice parts usages (NPU) to highlight. Besides building the interior supports and the two round roofs, there was nothing exceptionally challenging about the construction of this creation. However, I think its straightforwardness enhances rather than detracts from its beauty. My inspiration came mostly from ancient Eastern European churches I visited while briefly living in Budapest.

But that’s not the main point I want to talk about here. Instead, I wish to dedicate this creation to all the non-AFOL significant others out there who support us in enjoying this crazy hobby. After what I’ve put my wife through the last month, it’s the least I can do. Continue reading →

Massive LEGO Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi built from thousands of LEGO bricks

The Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi looks impressive and a fine work of architecture that would be based on something a real landmark, but little would you guess that Tony Sava‘s amazing LEGO cathedral is actually fictional, based on St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and Chartres Cathedral in France.

If one is not impressed enough, what you see on the outside walls simply scratches the surface of what’s inside. Tony designed and built a nave to fit a full congregation for a proper wedding ceremony or weekly mass.

Built intricately with stained-glass windows that are perfect for ambient lighting to flow through, it embraces the very same atmosphere of stepping into an embodiment of a holy sanctuary.

The cathedral is full of detailing that will make your eyes wander in awe, such as a piped organ to fill the halls with heavenly music.

A red-carpeted aisle and a pulpit and accessories like the floor candle holders add to the detailing.

Building with such details is not without its toil. From concept to completion took about 5 months with serious architectural and blueprint planning with layouts and dimensions.

The finished work and time spent is definitely an architectural piece to appreciate and be in awe of.