But every stone was catalogued, measured, precisely described, and numbered. We had to understand where the unusable ones belonged in order to cut new sandstone to fit exactly with the old. |
It was like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing. At times the work was joyous; other times it was agony. Every day we laughed with one eye, cried with the other. |
We wanted to duplicate the oaken doors of the entrance but had only vague descriptions of the detailed carving. So we issued an appeal to anyone who might have married in the church, because couples often pose for photos outside the church doors. People sent their wedding albums or photographs of their grandparents as newlyweds. We went from ignorance to knowing exactly the designs that allowed the wood artisans to create new doors exactly in the image of the old. |