download Gothic cathedral

[7embre]

I simply must put a massive WARNING sign for everyone importing this schematic - even though it's pure 100% carbon-neutral gluten-free vanilla 1.22.3 build and doesn't require anything but the game, one must follow a procedure for the build to function correctly - I indeed managed to put a puzzle and an interactive thingy in here. Make sure you read the last text section placed under screenshots otherwise schematic will have some issues when imported!

This build took me more than a year to finish and about 403 hours of poking blocks with chisel, starting back at February 2025 (world created in version 1.19.8, old times) and finishing at 7th of June 2026. I did test the schematic thoroughly and either fixed or provided a solution for generally arising issues.

 

 

 

 

 

...and more stuff in the basement!

cathedral-lost-in-time.json - and here is the build schematic. Have a great time! Feel free to have it on any public server, this is a gift from me to all of the VS community, just credit me for it. Make sure it's claimed at least 15 blocks from the cathedral's floor level if you choose to do so.

Mandatory steps for importing the build!

- Run a command to enable solving meta-blocks via world edit - it will make sure all air filler blocks will get turned into air when you move the structure and effectively will allow you to not have random trees or hills inside of it:

/we rm on

- Make darn sure you have enabled "Replace all no air" in world edit import tab:

It is a very heavy schematic, relatively speaking. Server/client may freeze a bit when you import it, even though I'm pretty sure it should work okay afterwards with hardware newer than GTX 1050 ti and any 8th-gen Intel CPU. Place it down on any relatively flat area, it won't leave a massive hole in the ground for you to fill later, thanks to the previous step. Sprint+mouse wheel should help you adjusting its position;

- After you place it down, you should select the whole area with either magic wand or commands via world edit (selection doesn't have to be precise, you can make it bigger) and run a relight function:

/we relight-selection

Otherwise build is going to have no shadows and no light from light sources before you replace them manually (it will still have no light from light sources - that's fine, because relight function doesn't work properly at the moment, but fixing player-made light sources is going to be the next step).

- Place and break some creative light blocks near some light sources for the game to update chunk's light map. If you ever see suspiciously-dark area anywhere expect the attic, do the thing. It will be enough if you update main floor's chandeliers and a couple extra spots - above large rose windows to the sides of the cathedral, on the spire and at the top of a bell tower. *(this step might be removed, when and IF relight function is going to get fixed);

- Restart the server for command blocks and the gasifier to activate properly.

- fun

 

last but not least, certain parchment text on the last page might still be broken if you use interface scaling different from the game's default. (if you don't understand or didn't encounter it - ignore this line, all good)

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Working on it for a few month, reaching about 72 170 hours. Approximately 70% 90% of the building is complete, but only 40% of work is done - I have to chisel five (seven) giant stained windows for the altar, change one of the transept windows for a round one, because I hate how they're stacked at the corner, finish the side facade walls with two windows, make the interior (choir, furniture, stairs, lighting, etc), two spires - one above the transept and the second for the bell tower, the bell tower itself, finish the roof and obviously make some flooring. Also, need to fix remaining shadow issues caused by chiseling according to the guide I have (hint-hint)

WIP pictures are removed, as I've moved them to google drive - thus from now on I update this post to contain finished result and the schematic.

Will update this post when I get anything new to show. Some of the pictures will get removed or changed in order to show the actual state of the build.

upd 03.05: Having reached my attachments limit, had to remove some and re-upload all pictures in order to preserve all actual ones. Inserted three out of five stained altar windows.

upd 12.05: Finished altar roof, added 4th stained window for the altar, "painted" tympanum a little to increase readability, chiseled one small rose window for the corner part of the transept and for it's gable, and moved the statue to where it should be. Also did some floor tiling. This build reached 120 hours.

upd 19.06: Chiseled tympanum for the inner side, and changed the plain look of the gate walls, added little statues at the top of the gate. Changed altar configuration and added two more stained windows to it. Chiseled remaining stained windows as well. Finished about 90% of work for the altar (pulpit, choir, rood screens, balcony for clergy). Changed floor materials. Some of the interior work done as well. I would probably need to make pews a bit less chonky. World reached 170 hours.

upd 02.07: Added maintenance stairway, masked it with a tower on the outside; made decorative fencing on side facades quite a bit higher, and, finally, installed the spire.

upd 14.07.25: Partly finished the bell tower and updated pictures where it could've been.

upd 08.06.26 : at last, after long period of silence caused by my desire to have at least some surprises for ya all (I vastly underestimated how long it will take to finish lol, about double the time in the end) this build is finished!

Edited Monday at 06:34 PM by 7embre
Project is finished, WIP pictures are now a separate thing

[mayushii]

this looks amazing

[ᴴᴵᴹ 𝙲𝟺𝙽𝚃𝚂𝚃𝟶𝙿]

It's magnificent! It's impressive how this game allows to make this kind of beauty, honestly it looks like a titanic work !!!
Big respect to you and can't wait to see the rest of the build, when you're done maybe post some pictures of the build on Pinterest !!!

[Vratislav]

This is really great work!

[7embre]

Did a little update to the side gate

For now - I'm slowly preparing giant windows for inserting stained glass in them, and also sketching them.

Edited Monday at 05:48 PM by 7embre
Removed unavailable pictures.

[Aldriona]

It looks absolutely amazing! The planning alone must have taken ages, not to mention all that chiseling.

[7embre]

14 minutes ago, Aldriona said:

It looks absolutely amazing! The planning alone must have taken ages, not to mention all that chiseling.

Thanks. Yep, it did indeed. It's actually the second attempt at building a cathedral, first one didn't turn out well (40 hours "wasted"), and was too massive for me to finish. At least I gained enough knowledge as to how not to build it lol

[Purx]

This is amazing, great job dude.

[Snoozin]

This is breathtaking! I'd love to hear more about the process that went behind this

[7embre]

First stained panel installed!

Edited May 2, 2025 by 7embre
Removed unavailable pictures.

[7embre]

Second stained window... done!

On 4/22/2025 at 10:41 PM, Snoozin said:

This is breathtaking! I'd love to hear more about the process that went behind this

At first, I started with the pristine statue - was watching anime "Maria Watches Over Us", and when I had a single glance on the statue there, I decided that I could build that in the VS. Did a few takes, had finished first statue - it was on a different post, but unfortunately I ran out of attachments limit, so you probably won't find it. After that, I did second attempt on sculpting, which didn't turn out well and I scrapped it. A few months later I started chiseling new statue, and, after finishing it, I decided that it looks too good to be left in open, and so now I'm building a cathedral. That's the story of how I started making it. After surfing through a lot of stock photos, came first attempt at cathedral building, which, as it turned out, wasn't good IMO, and, given that I didn't get far enough into the building progress, I managed to acquire experience of how not to build it. A lot of additional references later, I had particular vision of how I want it to look like - it should have side facades similar to Notre-Dame de Paris, it's main facade should look close to the side facades of Cologne Cathedral, have singular bell tower similar to Bavo's Cathedral in Belgium, and two spires - one above the transept and one on the tower. Some time later I found the cathedral that actually summed up all of my desires in one way or another - Nikolaikirche in Hamburg. With one little problem to looking for it's references - it was bombed in the WW2. Then, I learned how to calculate gothic arches using geometry, and applied that method to drawing pixelated arches in aseprite. And so, the building process began. Stained glasses on the altar are sketched out, other - built in place after some calculations. That's pretty much it.

upd: Added answer to the question above

upd2: Removed unavailable pictures.

Edited May 2, 2025 by 7embre
Removed unavailable pictures.

[Aldriona]

Those windows are gorgeous. I need to find myself a good spot for a few in my survival world. 

It amuses me how familiar the "I had a silly little creative idea and now I'm spending hours learning about this super obscure craft/subject to be able to get it just right!" process is. I may or may not have once started out making a handmade little board game and somehow ended up teaching myself both hieroglyphs and a tiny bit of old egyptian just to get the decor perfect...

[NastyFlytrap]

While this looks absolutely breathtaking

 

Why is the church flooded?

 

lol

[7embre]

4 hours ago, NastyFlytrap said:

While this looks absolutely breathtaking

Why is the church flooded?

lol

It's not flooded, but rather - suspended in the air lol
I'm kinda lazy doing flooring for now, so that's why you see the lake 20 blocks below it. Not particularly concerned about it's placement as I work on it in creative. I'll move it somewhere beautiful later using world edit

[NastyFlytrap]

6 minutes ago, 7embre said:

It's not flooded, but rather - suspended in the air lol
I'm kinda lazy doing flooring for now, so that's why you see the lake 20 blocks below it. Not particularly concerned about it's placement as I work on it in creative. I'll move it somewhere beautiful later using world edit

Ah, i see. Really impressive stuff! Wish i had the creativity for something like this. I just spent several hours designing lantern holders for my greenhouse and they look OK at best.

[Glaciers]

As a modern Da Vinci, Trump should hire you to attend his cabinet

[7embre]

Not quite little update on the build.

Finished altar roof, added 4th stained window for the altar, "painted" tympanum a little to increase readability, chiseled one small rose window for the corner part of the transept and for it's gable, and moved the statue to where it should be. Also did some floor tiling.

Also, I did change some of the pictures from initial post (same shooting angle tho) to make them resemble the actual state of the build better, so you might check that as well.

Edited July 1, 2025 by 7embre
Removed unavailable pictures.

[Aldriona]

You continue to amaze! The statue is beautfil, but I continue to be blown away by those gorgeous windows! Amazing work, all of it.

[Purx]

Amazing.

[7embre]

That was a long wait, I guess... Another build update! (a lot of pictures from initial post are changed, so check them out. That's a little teaser)

Chiseled tympanum for the inner side, and changed the plain look of the gate walls, added little statues at the top of the gate. Changed altar configuration and added two more stained windows to it. Chiseled remaining stained windows as well. Finished about 90% of work for the altar (pulpit, choir, rood screens, balcony for clergy). Changed floor materials. Some of the interior work done as well. I would probably need to make pews a bit less chonky.

Edited Monday at 06:11 PM by 7embre

[Cy9miner]

Dude that Circular Window is so flowery. The violent and blue stained glass make it beautiful

[7embre]

Small-ish, but, in my opinion, valuable update - it's one of the milestones I set at the beginning.

Added maintenance spiral stairway to both large rose windows, masked them with a tower on the outside; made decorative fencing on side facades quite a bit higher, and, finally, installed the spire. 

Edited Monday at 05:50 PM by 7embre
Removed unavailable pictures.

[Foe Hammer]

On 7/1/2025 at 6:47 PM, 7embre said:

Small-ish, but, in my opinion, valuable update - it's one of the milestones I set at the beginning.

Added maintenance spiral stairway to both large rose windows, masked them with a tower on the outside; made decorative fencing on side facades quite a bit higher, and, finally, installed the spire.

 

 

Amazing looking as always!
Would you be willing to show the spiral staircase in more detail? I do not see it in the photos (I probably do not know where to look lol), and I would very much like to see how you did it.

[7embre]

1 hour ago, Foe Hammer said:

Amazing looking as always!
Would you be willing to show the spiral staircase in more detail? I do not see it in the photos (I probably do not know where to look lol), and I would very much like to see how you did it.

Thanks! Sure thing. You may notice a door to the left side of a massive round stained window (rose window), it looks like that in a cross-section from the opposite side:

sneaky me, managed to cover the bell tower I'm working on with the right angle, ehehehehe

Edited July 6, 2025 by 7embre

[Foe Hammer]

15 minutes ago, 7embre said:

Thanks! Sure thing. You may notice a door to the left side of a massive round stained window (rose window), it looks like that in a cross-section from the opposite side:

sneaky me, managed to cover the bell tower I'm working on with the right angle, ehehehehe

Oh wow that is hidden lol. And the stairs are amazing! I have tried, and repeatedly failed to make a functional spiral staircase like that! I actually thought a 2x2 was either not possible or just too far out of my skill level cause the stairs were always uneven or did not line up. I might have to dissect your work to reverse engineer your method lol. My hat is off to you!

Also thank you greatly for the fast reply and obliging my request.

Edited July 6, 2025 by Foe Hammer