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The Green Cathedral

The Green Cathedral is an artistic plantation of Italian poplars near Almere in the Netherlands, designed by Marinus Boezem. It imitates the size and shape of Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral. The land art work was installed in 1987 on polder land, with the trees planted on a raised mound about half a metre above the surrounding area. Over the following years, some trees were replaced due to deer damage, and stone was laid on the ground to echo the cathedral’s transverse ribs and supporting beams. A nearby clearing was later created to reproduce the exact footprint of the cathedral.

The Green Cathedral vine-covered archway with a path leading through it beside a dense hedge and benches.
The Green Cathedral stands beneath a bright blue sky, with a path passing through its vine-covered archway.
November 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Rows of young trees forming The Green Cathedral in Almere, with an aisle-like opening over green grass and dark tilled soil.
The Green Cathedral in Almere, showing the formal rows of trees that create an open, cathedral-like space.
April 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
A tree-lined alley in The Green Cathedral with tall slender trees, green grass, and yellow wildflowers.
The Green Cathedral, a land art work by Marinus Boezem, seen as a sunlit avenue of trees with grass and wildflowers.
April 2019 © · CC BY 4.0
A long row of tall slender trees in The Green Cathedral stands beyond tilled brown earth, with a curving path and overcast sky.
The Green Cathedral in Almere, shown as a straight line of trees across the landscape.
April 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Aerial view of The Green Cathedral surrounded by green fields and a waterway.
The Green Cathedral in Almere seen from above, surrounded by farmland and water.
August 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleThe Green Cathedral
Original nameGothisch Groeiproject
Alternative nameDe Groene Kathedraal

Historical context

Typeland art project
Date planted16 April 1987

Creator

ArtistMarinus Boezem
Artist birth year1934

Discovery and provenance

Locationnear Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands
Sitepolder land in Southern Flevoland
Modelled afterthe Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims, France

Physical characteristics

Dimensions150 m long and 75 m wide
Tree heightabout 30 m when fully grown
Number of trees178

Materials

Tree speciesItalian poplars (Populus nigra italica)
Ground materialstone

Technique

Planting arrangementtrees planted on a mound about 0.5 m above the surrounding area
Tree replacementsome trees were later replaced because of deer damage

Appearance

Ground designstone laid to echo the transverse ribs and support beams of a Gothic cathedral
Nearby clearinga clearing of the same cathedral shape was created nearby in a young beech forest
Surrounding vegetationbeech trees

Iconography and meaning

Concepta cyclical development of growth, decay, and growth again
Interpretationas the poplars die, the surrounding beeches are expected to recreate the church in the clearing

Location and ownership

Public accessopened to the public in 1996

History and restoration

Completion date1996
Usesweddings, funerals, meetings, and religious services

Significance

Commemorative postage stampsThe Netherlands issued postage stamps dedicated to the Green Cathedral
Art performancesSuburbia theatre group performed Judas there in 2015; Matrix Botanica, Biosphere Above Nations was performed there in 2013