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?" chiseled in stone

The chiseled tile with a text by Le Roy in which he explains what an ecocathedral is.
The chiseled tile with a text by Le Roy in which he explains what an ecocathedral is.

For an exhibition in Heerenveen in 1996, Le Roy explained on a number of A4 sheets what an ecocathedral is, what you can use to build one, and why we need to build one.

Years later, when a semi -permanent exhibition about Le Roy was organized by Minji Choi at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, these texts were carved in stone and exhibited. After more than two years, the exhibition was closed, after which the stones found their way to the ecocathedrals in Mildam and Heerenveen. There, they will be given a permanent place.

In the Le Roy garden, one example has now been installed, in which Le Roy briefly but powerfully explains what an ecocathedral is. The other three examples are located in the ecocathedral in Mildam.

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

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)