Marinus Boezem, De Groene Kathedraal, 1996 - Flevoland, Netherlands (July, 2024)
Background
This is the third post of five Land Art Flevoland sites that we visited in July, 2024. (I’ve repeated the next two paragraphs for all five posts)
Flevoland is the twelfth and newest province of the Netherlands. It exists in the Zuiderzee / Lake IJssel (a shallow bay connected to the North Sea, which they somehow converted from a body of saltwater into fresh water now), and almost the entirety of the province was added in mainly two separate land reclamation projects or polders. The first was in 1942 and the larger second started in 1955 and was completed in 1968. Flevopolder (as this new island was called) is the world’s largest artificial island at around 1,500 square kilometers.
Land Art was in its hayday of the 1960s and 1970s. In conjunction with the opening of this new land, the planners decided to add some land art pieces to become a part of Flevoland. Thematically it makes a ton of sense. Both creating Land Art and the empoldering process share a strong connection to the Earth and transformation of the landscape. You could even say that reclaiming this island was an even grander land art project. They’ve added 10 land art pieces now, with the most recent being completed in 2018.
The Green Cathedral (or in Dutch De Groene Kathedraal) is by Dutch artist Marinus Boezem. Started in 1987, by planting 178 Lombardy polar trees as the pillars and walls of the floor plan of the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims, France. Stone was laid in the floor to represent the cross ribs and support beams, making the ground the “ceiling”. It was officially “completed” in 1996 (as in they grew enough to create the Gothic-style walls). That same year, an addition was added. Or rather, subtracted. It’s name is unclear, I’ve seen both “contra cathedral” or “Cathedral of Nature”, and I’m going to use the former. The Contra Cathedral is a reverse image of The Green Cathedral, a clearing in the adjacent Beech tree forest. Designed to be a specific conceptual contrasting dialogue, Beech trees were removed in the same footprint that Poplars had been added to the neighboring field. Probably best if I just show an image…
Source: Google Maps - The Contra Cathedral (above) and The Green Cathedral (below), you can see how they match one another
Each Cathedral is 150 meters long and 75 meters wide. Despite being considered completed in 1996, The Green Cathedral’s trees continued to grow. It is estimated that in 2015, they reached their general peak height of around 100 ft. Similarly the Beech forest around The Contra Cathedral has grown as well. Remember, Flevoland is manmade island that had mostly all of its vegetation curated, so this could be designed without “inflicting harm” upon nature, since it was all net new anyway. In the years though, nature has been allowed to interact, to an extent. The field around The Green Cathedral is still maintained allowing the cathedral to stand alone, though the interior has been allowed to grow a bit wild, certainly not like it was originally installed. I have a hard time believing that The Contra Cathedral also hasn’t had some maintenance as well (though less) over the decades. They certainly let the grass grow, the edges are not as sharp, and there’s a trodden path through the center, but they must have made sure no trees have grown in the field in the decades since. These inverse versions of each other have worked well to complement one another.
Marinus Boezum has created a unique blend of art, architecture, and ecology through his land art. Unlike many of the other ones we post, which bring in a solid element to work with the landscape like metal, or use very durable materials like stone, this is the first one we’ve been to that is more alive. It’s dynamic form changes with the seasons (check out this picture of it in the winter (albeit in its infancy)). Having to allow nature to interact with it and grow has allowed it to change so much more from its inception. There is a conceptual conversation, challenging you to see two simultaneous reclamations of the same footprints. It is also within a public park and had more visitors than any other Land Art we had visited (still not many).
Travel
Located in the Southwest of Flevoland, it is relatively close to Amsterdam, only a 30 minute drive. You will need a car to travel there. You should be able to type in The Green Cathedral into your GPS device and drive there. There is a bus stop called Almere Hout, Stichtsekant across the river (connected by an overpass), but I dunno how you get there.
You’ll approach it from the Northeast. Do not try the entrance at the purple x on the above map. This was blocked off by a barrier. There is parking availablein the loop in the park. When we were there, there were only a few vehicles there, with plenty of additional space to park. As you can see, the park is near some residential developments, as well as a highway across the river.
This part confused us. You have to take a turn onto Kathedralenpad, not Reimslaan. We were not sure that vehicles were allowed on this path, since it was a single lane and had no signage confirming that we could drive down it, nor did we see any vehicles. So we parked on Reimslaan and walked down. However, upon arrival, we could see that cars had driven down this road. There were not many clear pull offs on this nearly 1 kilometer stretch, so take a look before you pull onto it to see if anyone is coming down before you commit to driving across. Luckily it’s perfectly straight and it’ll only take you a couple minutes driving, but pulling off or reversing would be very tedious on this road, so worth a look before committing.
There is a teahouse, Boerderij Uniek Leven, at the end of Reimslaan (the adjacent road through the residential area). It is open Fridays-Sunday during the day, so we did not experience it. It has a direct walking path access to the park, they are clear that they don’t want people to park actually at the teahouse.
Translation: Please do not park here. You can park at the end of Kathedralenpad.
It is free to visit the park, and there seemed to be no hour restrictions, however, there were no lights, so probably best to stick with daylight hours. There were no restrooms or facilities here, so plan accordingly. Almere is nearby, so head there for food and such.
Experience
Going through these blog posts and doing all this research is a bit flawed. I should really be doing all this research beforehand. I think it would greatly improve my experience. I would know more about the history, look at the pieces and the landscapes differently. Seeing it “today” versus the historical pictures over the years. I need to change this about our land art travels. Learning and reviewing them retrospectively after having been there is not as rewarding. It would have been nice to have had photos of what it originally looked like at inception and completion and see those changes compared to now.
The Green Cathedral was actually the first Land Art piece I found in the Netherlands. So it kicked off this whole Land Art Flevoland tour.
We arrived around 2 in the afternoon, coming from Exposure / Lelystad. As mentioned before, after driving circles in the area looking for signage, we parked in the wrong area, unsure if we could drive down the path that seemingly led to the park. We walked the kilometer down Kathedralenpad into the park. We first went to The Contra Cathedral (in hindsight I wish we had done this second). There were a couple people walking their dogs, and someone picnicking in the tall grass. There’s a trodden / cleared path through the middle. It’s a strange perfectly clearing in a pretty dense forest, but honestly, nature has done such a good job, if you didn’t know it was purposeful, you might not notice. The Beech trees have grown round and full, so there are really only two egresses that are obvious. Almost natural doorways that lead to this imaginary cathedral.
We exited and rounded the corner to The Green Cathedral. Mattos walked through it, while I walked around, for the photos. Unfortunately though, the best photos are probably taken with a drone, to really capture the cathedral layout. Certain Poplar trees have barriers around them. I didn’t consider it at the time, but given the age, it must be for certain trees’ protection.
We met on the other side at the entrance. There is a plaque on the ground, and the cathedral really opens up for you to see it all. From this vantage point you can see the main… nave?
There is a path around the boundary of the park, as well as a few benches closer to the main path of the park that connects to a overpass that crosses the river and highway. Plus a small area for some houseboat / riverboats to dock at.
I accidentally sat on Mattos’ sunglasses, which we bought in Amsterdam. She hasn’t forgiven me yet.
All in all, we spent about an hour there. I wish we had more time to sit and picnic there. It was a beautiful location. We had a full day and were behind schedule, so we didn’t stay too long. I would like to return for our second Land Art Flevoland trip next summer. Plus with all this additional research, it would be nice to search for the stones / shells, and appreciate the effort more.
Another thing I wish we knew is that there is an official Spotify Playlist for experiencing the art. Made by Good4Good for Land Art Luisterweekend. It’s just 4 songs and 18 minutes long, see below.
Summary
The Green and Contra Cathedrals are technically beautiful and brilliantly constructed. They are wonderful in concept and impressive in size, time, and scope. And yet, I was rather underwhelmed. It’s possible that I didn’t do enough research beforehand to appreciate it, or that it was simply too large that being a mere human doesn’t allow you to truly comprehend it. I probably rushed us too much to make sure we could hit everything we wanted to see that day.
I recommend you see it as a key component of a Land Art Flevoland trip. Though it felt more like a nice and strange park. Somewhere I’d like to sit with friends on a picnic blanket, crack open some drinks and share some snacks while we all caught up. Finally, a way to get raucous at church.
Podcast / Interview
This is a link to Land Art Flevoland’s podcast / interview about Exposure. It is unfortunately in Dutch only. But I did put it through a transcriber (notta) and translator (Google). I apologize to the original content creators, I had to edit and bridge some gaps, but hey, I don’t speak Dutch, and I just wanted to share their content with more people. Hopefully they don’t mind. The guest in this one (Marijke Jansen) also shows some presentation materials and images, you can watch in the link, at 5:00, 8:30, and 10:25. Below is the badly transcribed, translated to English, and edited interview transcript.
Luuk Heezen: The green cathedral is a magnificent work by conceptual artist Marinus Boezem. In 1987 he planted 178 poplars in the flat Flevoland polder... according to the plan of the Gothic Notre-Dame cathedral of Reims. According to Boezem, the Gothic cathedral is a masterpiece of architecture, just as the construction of the Flevopolder was a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering. Where in one field the trees are removed from the interior of the cathedral and are planted in another field next to the forest around the perimeter of the cathedral so that the recess of the cathedral would be visible there. Thus the image of the cathedral is executed in both negative and positive silhouette. Nine years after the planting of the poplars, the work was allowed to be visited. The green cathedral had grown far enough to be opened.
Marijke Jansen is sitting with me. He was a project leader for visual arts in public space in Amsterdam for many years. She has been an art consultant for the Dom Tower and the Dom Church in Utrecht. She writes about art in public space. She is also a guide in for the city and landscapes. An extraordinary civil servant. Yes, that's how we should say it. Welcome Marijke. [Yes, thank you.] That means that you also had people marry. Then we'll talk about how that looks, that green cathedral and how that works. But first, for your work as a guide. What do you tell people who walk around there? What do they really need to know about that green cathedral?
Marijke Jansen: Well, of course they have to know the ins and outs of the background in which Marinus Boezem came to design this, and also his work before that, because he is always interested in Gothic works. The cathedral of Rouen in Northern France, is a cathedral of more than 800 years old and you have to realize that, what that means, that such a work of art is still there. And how that work of art in Almeren (where the Green Cathedral is located) has grown, because it is a Gothic growth work of art, which has now reached its actual height after about 40 years, with the added negative element that they have in fact also reached their lifespan and can now more or less collapse. The poplars you have left now. The poplars and during the storms of the past few years, yes, then now and then some branches start to come loose and a tree falls over that has to be sawn off and that means, what are you going to do then? Because originally, Boezem's idea was to leave everything that fell over there or leave it lying around.
Luuk: The cathedral is in decay, actually?
Marijke: The cathedral in decay. But that means that you can't go there with people, because then you can't mow and then it actually becomes a dangerous situation to walk around there. Because when you are on location, you should not walk around that cathedral, then you will experience something, but you should go through it, at the front through that marble place that is there, which in fact also indicates the contours, then you should have the feeling as if you are walking through the bronze doors of the original cathedral. And then you walk, look up where you should actually see the cross vaults, but they are lying here on the ground and that's how you tell the story. But if those trees collapse, that won't be possible anymore. So now a plan is being drawn up in consultation with Boezem, who is now well into his 80s, but still up to date, I hope, to see what he wants now, because after 40 years his idea may also have been adjusted.
Luuk: What’s the favorite spot in that poplar cathedral?
Marijke: Well actually from that bronze plate, the marble plate that is supposed to represent the bronze doors. Because then you can see a whole cathedral, you can tell about the columns, the trees. That there were circles around it, where the shells are in again. Those trees actually represent the columns of the cathedral. And those shells that lay around it, that actually refers to the Zuiderzee of the past.
Luuk: As it used to deliver.
Marijke: But there are no more shells to be found.
Luuk: and no more shells to be found.
Marijke: Oh, there are shells all around, I'll see if I can share a picture of that.
Luuk: Yeah, I see you’ve brought your own images.
Marijke: Here is a bit of a bad copy. [points to a printout of the bases of some of the trees] Here you see such a tree. And then around it such a circle, and in that circle there were in fact originally shells. Which then gave that reference to the sea.
Luuk: But they have been removed.
Marijke: Well, taken away, that's a no-brainer, but I was once with a school, yes, in Rotterdam, I believe. And I told the children about it. And a child came along with a shell, which was completely astonishing. He says, well, you should keep those, because it is very special that you still find them. But in fact they are gone, which is a shame.
Luuk: So actually the grandeur of that cathedral, when you see that, that moment you find the most beautiful.
Marijke: Yes I find that beautiful, then you have a beautiful length, it is 150 meters. But what I always tell people, you have to look well in the length sideways and especially also up and walk through, then you make the turn towards the negative cathedral and then we walk around that. We go there too. And then I ask, what do you feel now? And then they always have the idea that it is much, much bigger. And actually that is the same story with all the works of art that we then go to on such a day, as soon as you get close to it or further away, then suddenly the relationship is different. So every time something is triggered in your brain that puts you on the wrong track. And yes, I also like to let them experience that.
Luuk: While it is exactly the same floor plan.
Marijke: It's exactly the same, exactly the same size, only it feels completely different.
Luuk: You are an ordinary civil servant and in that capacity you have also married someone there, in style [?] ?
Marijke: Yeah, yeah, that's the marriage attitude [?]. Often, right?
Luuk: Even there.
Marijke: That was really nice. That came my way because Robbie and Tosca wanted to get married. Robbie did an exhibition in the context of The Land Art in the KAF building in Almere. And of course had a lot of contact with Martine van Kampen there. And then he asked, could he also be married there, because he had plans to get married. And that was never officially arranged with the municipality. And then she said, yes, we can try that. But then I also have a registrar. Because Martine knew that I was also a marriage officer. And then I was asked and I really enjoyed doing it. Also because of the location, because that is of course a very special location. I have married people before. It is just in a beautiful gachtepant [?] in Amsterdam or at the city hall. It is also nice, but this was still very special.
Luuk: So take us into that space, what did it look like then?
Marijke: That space was by them and by their friends, because it is a whole organization, completely decorated, in the back. Then you walk into that green cathedral and then you walk to the back and there on the widest part. There were white ribbons hung there, which in fact indicated the wedding location and where the chairs were. And then at the end.
Luuk: And in the normal cathedral that would be, the forebays [forecrops?], what do you call them?
Marijke: I am here [?] catholic, I wrote it down, because then I always forget it of course. In any case there near the Altar, there it is.
Luuk: The most central.
Marijke: And there were all the chairs for the guests and the chairs, a very nice bench, very romantic. A bit of a delicate bench for the couple who were getting married and a table where I stood and where the books were present, the marriage certificate. But at such a marriage with a baks [?] there is always a civil servant from the municipality itself present. He also comes with the marriage certificate and he has to see that I can do it all right.
Luuk: It seems very special to me.
Marijke: Well, first of all, you start with nice weather, that's natural, you can't force that, you just have to be lucky. Of course everyone was excited, that already gives a certain atmosphere, but also the path to it, to the place where the cars can be parked, that was already completely indicated, friends of theirs had done that, with, if I may say so irreverently, lollipop sticks in the ground, but instead of a lollipop, there was a heart stuck on it, and so you had a whole path all the way to the front of the church, and then you had to walk in there. And there they came, striding along, that's what I'll say.
Luuk: Gorgeous, both in white.
Marijke: In what cream are, in white, and yes, and yes, everyone of course looking around and excited. And it's also there because it's so in the green and with nice weather it's so fairytale behind. I think that for them, I liked it, but I think that for them it was a very special day. Of course, every wedding is special, but at such a location it is perhaps even more authentic.
Luuk: Great story, indeed, fairytale-like, that's how it looks, actually, immediately.
Marijke: And then I’ll show you a problem, because there is no electricity, you have to take care of everything. That is not only about your tent, where if the weather is bad, that was planned on the negative cathedral, then it should have taken place there. But you also need electricity and of course you need toilets, all of that needs to be organised.
Luuk: That's all arranged, it all has to be brought.
Marijke: I have already arranged through them.
Luuk: Can you tell me for everyone who hasn't been to the green cathedral? Why is it such a special work? Why should you get in the car now and go there?
Marijke: Because it is one of the first landscape artworks in the Netherlands. Most artworks in the Netherlands are usually in the built environment, so relatively modest in size. This is totally immodest in size. That alone is a reason to go there. It is really so big and grand. You feel insignificant there and people who go on holiday to Italy or to France, to Notre Dame, that is now a bit of a bad example in Paris, but for that Notre Dame would go. You suddenly feel like a very insignificant person, whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter. I always have that feeling. And you have it there too. And in this case nature runs away with you instead of those stones, and all those statues, and all those beautiful stained glass windows. And now it's blue of the sky and green of the trees and the rustling of the leaves. It's a pity that the highway is so busy, because you can hear that too. Because otherwise you could be completely in nature.
Luuk: Thank you, we will see for ourselves. Thanks for your explanation.
Sources
Land Art Flevoland. “Marinus Boezem: De Groene Kathedraal.” Land Art Flevoland. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.landartflevoland.nl/en/land-art/marinus-boezem-de-groene-kathedraal/.
Senses Atlas. “The Green Cathedral by Marinus Boezem.” Senses Atlas. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.sensesatlas.com/the-green-cathedral-marinus-boezem/.
Atlas Obscura. “Green Cathedral.” Atlas Obscura. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/green-cathedral.
SoundCloud. “De Groene Kathedraal van Marinus Boezem.” SoundCloud. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://soundcloud.com/user-129191601/10-de-groene-kathedraal-van-marinus-boezem.
