trees and cathedrals

"A similar architectural tradition identifies the origin of Gothic pointed arches and vaults in the interlacing of tree branches, and likens the view down the nave of a Gothic cathedral to a path through a wood of tall overarching trees." -Christopher Witcombe

After reading some of James Jordan's Through New Eyes, I was thinking about how appropriate it is that Cathedrals are made to look like forests with columns as trees and vaulting as intersecting branches. In the Bible trees are often symbols of men (psalm 1, Jesus's parables, shoot of Jesse) it makes complete sense that a church that is a group of people would look like a group of trees, a forest, especially if the people are 'living stones' building the body of Christ who is the tree of life.
(for some good images of Cathedrals, look at flickr's cathedral cluster)

Reminds me of Tomek Baginski's beautiful digital short Cathedral in which a cathedral is literally made of trees and people, although this has nothing to do with cathedrals as churches.