The Sculptor’s Journey: A Tale of Mystery and Courage in Medieval France

Posted on Sep 24, 2024 in English

The Cathedral

By Cesar Mallorquí

Collection: Wide Angle

Number of Pages: 203

Index

• Plot…3
• Main Characters…5
• Ideas or Topics…6
• Reasoned Criticism…7

Argument

Telmo and his father worked as stonemasons. Telmo’s father rarely rested, even for lunch, because he was very focused on his work.

On the morning of Telmo’s birthday, he woke up later than usual. While he worked at the site with his father, his mother prepared a delicious breakfast. In his spare time, Telmo began working on a statue of the Virgin Mary. By the afternoon, Telmo’s father approached him and told him that he was going to bring some of his friends from the lodge to see Telmo’s work, despite Telmo’s insistent denials because the figure was not yet finished.

When they reached the lodge, Telmo was very nervous. He placed the Madonna on the workbench, and among the six friends who looked at her was his father, watching with great tranquility. After having calmly examined it, they went to vote. The votes were cast with stones: a white stone meant “yes,” and a black one meant “no.” Telmo was very nervous, but in the end, when they took the bag and the stones, Telmo saw that all six were white. He was calmed and happy. Telmo took the oath and became a Freemason. The degree of Freemason was very special because in this way, driven by his craft, he became free.

Later, Telmo’s father received news. A cathedral was to be built in Kerloc’h, and they were looking for a good sculptor to create the statue to be placed on the altar of that cathedral. He would go to Kerloc’h in the company of strangers: Gunnar, Loki, and Eric. Telmo did not think for a moment that these three individuals were Freemasons. They seemed mostly like warriors.

When they arrived, they stopped in a bar. Right next to the table where they were, a few people were playing dice and gambling with money. It had been a long time when Loki decided to join the game. Loki was winning almost every game until the leader of the group that was playing accused him of cheating and demanded the money he had won. Telmo was afraid for Loki, but Gunnar reassured him that they were in no danger. When they left the bar and marched on, halfway down the road, they ran into the same guy who insisted on reclaiming his money and all that they carried, along with their belongings. They refused, and suddenly archers appeared from everywhere. The three companions dealt with them swiftly, leaving no one standing.

They journeyed a long time until they reached Kerloc’h. There they were received by Hugo, his wife, and their daughter, Valentina. In January, Telmo learned of a contest to choose the sculptor who would create the statue for the high altar of the cathedral. Telmo won this contest and worked on the statue for a long time.

One day they went to the cathedral and found a hideout where they discovered the mark of Thibaud d’Orly, a sculptor who had disappeared. A few days later, they encountered a Korrigan, a creature of Breton folklore, in a hidden hall called Hell. He said that Thibaud d’Orly had died there and that he had been there and would go again. The next morning, they found the Korrigan dead.

Days later, on a night when Telmo could not sleep very well, the Korrigan appeared to him. He had the same wounds as when he was found dead and was very angry. He was accusing Telmo of doing nothing to save him.

Telmo jumped up and ran to the cathedral. When he arrived, he used scaffolding along the walls to enter. Inside, he saw a door just above the organ. He went there, not knowing what he would face. When he could see a little, he saw many bodies, including those of Thibaud d’Orly and others. Suddenly the light went out, and everything was dark. Telmo ran as fast as he could. When he reached the village, he told Eric everything. While he was telling him, in the distance, he saw a dark shadow: it was Simon of Wallachia. Simon kidnapped them both and took them to a cell.

Eric and Simon faced off in a life-or-death struggle. Eric finally defeated Simon and escaped from his cell. He went to look for the rest of the townspeople. They found Gunnar and Loki halfway down the road, and they all set out.

Meanwhile, inside the cathedral, a spell was underway to summon Lucifer and provoke Armageddon. To perform this spell, they needed to sacrifice a virgin soul, which in this case would be Valentina.

Telmo was about to intervene as Valentina was going to be killed, but he was able to rescue her and escape with her. As they fled, Telmo could see enemies watching the sea towards a point that they could not see because the cathedral blocked their view. Telmo went over to see what was happening. There, Telmo saw the Beast, Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness. Telmo was witnessing what could be Armageddon. But the spell had been broken, and suddenly he realized that Lucifer had been about to come to his full glory, but the forces of good had won. Kerloc’h Cathedral had been destroyed, and the mercenaries of the Order of the Eagle would fight no more.

Telmo stopped to rest for a bit, but Ben Mosse woke him and told him to go into town because all the people wanted to see him. They said he was the hero of everything that had happened.

He left, knowing that Kerloc’h was where he was needed, but many offered to go with him to Paris. He was not with any of them, however, and followed his own path.

Main Characters

• Telmo: The protagonist and narrator of this story. He is fourteen years old. His story begins on the day of his fourteenth birthday, on which he becomes a Freemason.
• Gunnar: One of Telmo’s fellow travelers. He is a very tall man with broad shoulders and a muscular build. He has very blond hair, so blond it looks white, and he wears it tied back with a long braid. He has an iron ring beard.
• Loki: One of Telmo’s fellow travelers. He is the opposite of Gunnar: short, thin, and dark. He has short hair and wears a sharp beard. He appears wiry and tense, like a trap about to spring, and he is also very clever.
• Eric: One of Telmo’s fellow travelers. He is tall and strong, but not as gigantic as Gunnar. He has brown hair, is almost completely bald, and has a bushy beard cut into a rectangle. He has a scar that crosses his face diagonally from his forehead to his cheekbone.

Ideas or Topics

1. Overcoming Self: Illustrated when Telmo wants to become a great sculptor and when he enters the contest to design the cathedral’s statue.
2. Fellowship: Shown when Telmo participates in all the plans that he and his colleagues make.
3. Hope: When Kerloc’h falls and Telmo doesn’t know what will become of his future, he goes in search of a new life.
4. Love: When Valentina falls in love with Telmo when they meet, she steadily makes advances throughout the story.
5. Cooperation: Demonstrated when they devise the plan to destroy the cathedral with gunpowder.
6. Confidence Among Comrades: When Loki causes a problem in the inn, Gunnar reassures Telmo that he will take care of Loki.
7. Tranquility: When Telmo participates in the competition for the cathedral sculptor, he doesn’t get nervous and follows his instincts. He also seeks tranquility when he goes to the beach to rest after his long work.
8. Self-Confidence: When Telmo is in the competition for the cathedral sculptor, he trusts his instincts to create the figure he wants to build.
9. Courage: When Telmo saves Valentina from death during her sacrifice to summon Lucifer.

Reasoned Criticism

I liked this book very much because it was full of intrigue from start to finish. One thing I especially liked was the detailed descriptions of the places where the story takes place.

The only thing I disliked about this book was that there was a part, at the beginning of the book until they go to Kerloc’h, that was very boring. The rest was very good.