Logo Le Roy tuin, de ecokathedraal van Heerenveen

Ecocathedralen: waar plant, dier en mens samenwerken...
... en waar ruimte de tijd krijgt, en tijd de ruimte

What is an ecocathedral?

An ecocathedral is a place where plants, animals, and humans work together. Endlessly, without a plan, and with free energy.

In practical terms, this means that it concerns an area (private or in public space) that is not maintained in the traditional way using extensive maintenance, but where natural processes are given time. Selective planting, prioritizing diversity, is only applied during the creation of an ecocathedral. Over the years, plants and shrubs may be added, but without disturbing the existing vegetation.

Variety can also be introduced into the landscape by constructing structures using natural materials (for example, stones left over from paving work). No cement or mortar is used in this process, allowing small animals and plants to nest in the holes and crevices.

The term ecocathedral was coined by Louis G. Le Roy (1924 – 2012). The word consists of two parts, where "eco" stands for nature and "cathedral" for culture. With this, he wanted to indicate that nature and culture must work together. They need each other: a symbiotic relationship.

Long term: Cathedral thinking

Building an ecocathedral is a generative process that spans dozens of generations. This long-term thinking is also known as cathedral thinking , because the construction of cathedrals sometimes took centuries. The people who built the cathedrals knew that they would never see the final result. In a time when short-term thinking is considered more important, future generations are often forgotten, and we do not stop to think about how we are leaving the world for our grandchildren. We should be good ancestors again, according to Roman Krzanick in his book " Good Ancestor ".

Le Roy described it as follows:

what is an ecocathedral louis le roy

What is an ecocathedral?

An ecocathedral is a structure:

  • that arises as the product of a lifelong collaboration between natural organisms:
    - plants - animals - people
  • that is realized exclusively with the aid of energy supplied by natural organisms:
    - free energy
  • that will have to develop into a highly complex structure in a completely natural way:
    - development in space and time
  • whose final form is not determined in advance—by means of drawings or models:
    - spontaneous creation

In 2005, the Le Roy Garden was formally designated as an ecocathedral in a letter of intent between the Municipality of Heerenveen and the TIJD Foundation .

Want to help out?

Would you like to work as a volunteer on the Heerenveen ecocathedral? You can!
Get in touch , and we'll see what you like and what you can do.
Or come by sometime on a Wednesday morning. We are often working there then.

Agenda

31 Oct 02026;
13:00 - 16:30
TIJD-symposium 02026

The stage is yours!

Located in the Le Roy Garden is a small, atmospheric open-air theatre with a capacity of approximately 80 visitors. It is ideal for staging small performances of singing, recitation, music, theatre... Email or call us and inquire about the possibilities.

thumb open-air theater le roy garden

Guided tour or lecture on ecocathedrals?

Would you like a guided tour of the Le Roy Garden, or a lecture on ecocathedrals? Please contact us. You can do so by email or by phone at 06-24573020 .

Donate stones?

Do you have any stones left over and would you like to donate them to the Le Roy garden? Please contact us first, so you can immediately find out whether (and if so, where) you can bring the stones. Bringing (or collecting) material without prior notice is therefore not permitted.

tiles NK tile removing in ecocathedral Heerenveen

 

See also:

Other long-term art projects

Various artists have been inspired in one way or another by the long term, also known as cathedral thinking. A number of interesting examples:

  1. The Letters of Utrecht (02000 - as long as there are Saturdays): a poem that is written letter by letter every Saturday in the city center of Utrecht using stones.
  2. The Time Pyramid of Manfred Laber in Wemdinge, Germany
  3. The Future Library (02014 - 02114) of Katie Paterson in Oslo, Denmark.
  4. The Longplayer at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London, a musical piece that lasts 100 years and has been playing since January 1, 2000.
  5. The Tropfenstein machine (01996–02496) with which a stalactite is made in a museum in Hamburg.

" For a proper understanding of what is written, it must always be borne in mind that when nature is mentioned, natural processes are *always* meant, but never nature in its temporary form ." Louis G. Le Roy ( 1924 - 2012 )

" When we build, let us remember that we are building for eternity. Let it not be for present pleasure, nor for present use only; let it be such a work that our descendants will be grateful to us for it ." John Ruskin (1819–1900)