June 21, 20241 yr These are some really cool hinges I bumped into on an old church. if knows more about these than me (low bar) please share.
June 21, 20241 yr Did you stop in and ask the priest? I'm sure they know exactly who and when they were made. I'd be interested in knowing what kind of vine they represent, at the highest and lowest point if each element is a leaf I don't recognize. They are pretty typical of iron work made for churches, there are actually walking tours. Well, I should say I've heard of walking tours of the iron work in churches and cathedrals. The smith put out his best for church ironwork. It could make or break his name. Samuel Yellen was famous for the iron work his shop produced for the church. Frosty The Lucky.
June 22, 20241 yr If you want to see some really cool church door hinges look at the west doors of Notre Dame Cathederal in Paris. Here is a link: https://idighardware.com/2019/04/the-doors-of-notre-dame-cathedral/ There is a legend that the smith who made them sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for the skill to make them. I can say that as a blacksmith standing there and contemplating those doors is almost a religious experience, certainly spiritual. Most of them were made of wrought iron which is easier to weld than steel. You should look to see if there is any evidence of welds where the branches and tendrils join the stem. As Froaty says, craftsmen put out their best work for the churches because it was more than just another job. It was a way of glorifying God, a ministry and witness in iron, if you will. The attitude is typified by a story I got from my late father in law who was a medieval history professor. A medieval sculptor who was carving figures of saints which were to be placed high on the wall in a cathederal was asked why he was finishing the backs of the figures, which would never be seen, with as much detail as the fronts. He replied that if he didn't do his best work on all sides that, "God would know and I would know." There is also the Benedictine belief that "work is prayer." If you are doing work that somehow supports God that has as much virtue as prayer. Benedictine monks who were working in the fields of the monastary or doing other work such as illuminating manuscripts, etc. were excused from the offices and prayer during the day because their labor was the equivalent of prayer. Samuel Yellin's work at the National Cathederal in Washington, DC (Episcopal denomination, BTW) is nothing short of amazing. It is so good that I have never been able to decide if it inspires me or discourages me. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." PS Read the article linked in the link I posted. It has more detailed photos. The closer you look the more you see. GNM
June 24, 20241 yr Author I didn’t get a good chance stop and look closely. Gorge those are wild! There’s more hinge than wood!! funny about the blacksmiths untimely end. To many fumes from all the forge welding?? The church is in Baltimore in Maryland.
June 24, 20241 yr Sait turns out that the Notre Dame door ironwork is not actually medieval but were recreated by a very talented French smith during the restoration in the 1860s. The originals had been lost during the French Revolution but there were drawngs of of them which were followed for the restoration. Still amazing and impressive. The detail is comparable with Sam Yellin's work at the National Csthereral in Washington.
June 24, 20241 yr Recently (as in the last 10 years) somebody tried to replicate those hinges. He sold dvd's to sponsor his endevour. You can find a snippit on youtube under "the devil forge" if i remember correctly. I have seen parts of the movie. Crazy, lots of very small details all forgewelded together, dipped in clay to have less heat on them.
June 25, 20241 yr Maybe a translation thing but here it is "The Devil's Blacksmith" documentary. There are some scenes on youtube from it. The story as i heard it was that a young blacksmith was tasked with making those hinges. Doubting his skill the devil appeared to him and they made a deal that he would have the skill in exchange for his soul. When he finished the hinges and the doors were hung they did not work. A priest blessed them with Holy Water and they worked. Becuase of that the smith was saved from the devil. Another i heard kind of in relation. A sculptor was working on the back of a statue making it look as beautiful as the front. When his apprentice asked why, no one would see it when finished? The sculptor replied God will know. Those are some gorgeous ironwork. I love the old churches and Cathedrals. The stone work, wood work, and of course iron work. Those guys were not just doing a job. They were doing a work of love. So they did the absolute best they could becuase if they did not "God will know". I see that spirit, creativity, and skill when i look at what those guys built. Those places, not just the Churches but throughout the world, are works of art created by people. Not just one man but all of them. They are a testament to what people can achieve when they work together on a common goal. Ok enough philosophical hoopla, want a good laugh check out some of the old gargoyles in Europe. If you can imagine a liquid coming out of a human body there is a gargoyle of it.
June 25, 20241 yr I will say that some of the most satisfying blacksmith work I have done was for my church (St. Charles the Martyr Episcopal Church, Ft. Morgan, CO). I made a chandelier for advent candles at Christmas time (nothing as wonderful or elaborate as Alexandr's but turned out pretty well), tall (7') candle holders and brackets to attach to the ends of the pews for Christmas, weddings, Easter, and other festive occasions, tall (about 2 1/2 feet) candle holders for the altar, and when we had our incense censor stolen I made one to replace it (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the use of incense, the censor is the sort of small pot thing with a perforated lid which is hung on chains into which bits of hot charcoal and the incense are placed and swung during processions). It just felt really good to be working on something like that and even though I was doing it for love and faith rather than money I really felt like doing my very best work. I felt that I had some connection to the medieval craftsmen who built the cathederals and understand them better. Our priest told me that I had a ministry in iron and that every congregation should have a blacksmith in it. One thing that was kind of cool is that when Madelynn and I got married in 2016 all my ironwork (with the exception of advent chandelier) was out for the ceremony. George
June 25, 20241 yr That would've made a moment of a lifetime even better, fated maybe. It's a wonderful story George, thanks. Frosty The Lucky.
June 26, 20241 yr I find your story inspiring, George. It was nice to read and sometimes a person needs that. Thank you.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.