[MOC] Medieval Cathedral and Stonemasons Guild (BDP Series 9)

[arselus]

Hi Eurobricks forum,

This is my submission to the Bricklink Designer Program Series 7: The Medieval Construction Site, if you like the build please support it here: https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-7/2296/Medieval-Construction-Site

I designed this wanting to add something unique to the world of Castle, and wanting to delight Castle fans. We have many excellent castles, large and small. There are also many excellent cathedral MOCS, but typically they are more suited for expos, and too large for the average builder or fan. I have been working on this Medieval Stonemasons/ Construction Site concept for several years, hoping it would be a good centerpiece for many different medieval towns. Back in BDP 6 I wrote an article for Brickset about the design process: https://brickset.com/article/114150 As for scale, the scale was set to the Medieval Town Square. As regard the Lion Knights Castle (which feels more like a keep) - Cathedrals were often the same height as smaller castles at their nave. For example the Tower of London is 27m, Burg Eltz 35m, and Chartres Cathedral is 37m. I hope you like the build, please vote!

 

 

Edited October 6, 2025 by arselus

[Yoggington]

I love this, and have supported every iteration. It gets more appealing every time you change it, like the builders are advancing the build.

 

Any chance you have a pictoral record of each final submission side by side?

[RichardGoring]

Agreed, this is awesome. I got the stonemasons guild version from the MOC Pop-up store and loved the build. I'd definitely get this to go along with it too. All part of the site. Good luck!

[arselus]

16 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

Agreed, this is awesome. I got the stonemasons guild version from the MOC Pop-up store and loved the build. I'd definitely get this to go along with it too. All part of the site. Good luck!

Thank you so much -  I really appreciate the kind words and support.

16 hours ago, Yoggington said:

I love this, and have supported every iteration. It gets more appealing every time you change it, like the builders are advancing the build.

 

Any chance you have a pictoral record of each final submission side by side?

Yes, I do, this was back from BDP 6 (posted in a Brickset.com article here: https://brickset.com/article/114150) I'll create an updated one that includes BDP 7 at some point too:

 

[Yoggington]

I am very pleased, this tickles my brain.

[GeoBrick]

I still fancy the BDP 5 series admission more. Mostly because I feel the diagonal support beams of the main ship are .too jagged

[RenLUG - Central Florida]

Love seeing the iterations and improvements on this. It has gotten our groups votes each time. 

[arselus]

On 2/21/2025 at 7:42 AM, RenLUG - Central Florida said:

Love seeing the iterations and improvements on this. It has gotten our groups votes each time. 

Thank you for the support! I'm happy to contribute something to the castle community. 

[hikouki]

Excellent work!

[arselus]

For anyone interested, I've posted the BDP 7 version to Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-214984/arselus/medieval-construction-site/

[arselus]

Hi Eurobricks community,

I wanted to share my BDP Series 8 submission: the Medieval Cathedral. I've been working on this idea since BDP 1, submitting to series 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and now 8. The Cathedral is now nearly complete!

You can support the project here: https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-8/2731/Medieval-Cathedral

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2025 by arselus

[GeoBrick]

It has been quite the journey for this cathedral. 

[iragm]

The different builds at different stages of completion are the most unique and interesting part of this set.  And the build itself is excellent with many wonderful details.  But I can't believe they let it into the BDP given Lego's stance on religious buildings, and I can't ever see it becoming an actual set.

[hikouki]

Great work!

[MAB]

On 5/11/2025 at 12:02 PM, iragm said:

The different builds at different stages of completion are the most unique and interesting part of this set.  And the build itself is excellent with many wonderful details.  But I can't believe they let it into the BDP given Lego's stance on religious buildings, and I can't ever see it becoming an actual set.

LEGO made Notre Dame, an actual real life cathedral used for religious services. 

[arselus]

A few updates, you can support my BDP 9 projects here: https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-9/main.page?s=arselus

 

Here is the most updated Medeival Cathedral, and a complete redesign of the Medieval Stonemasons Guild, both are in BDP 9!

 

 

[Yoggington]

Big fan of your work @arselus. A question if you don't mind;

Quote

Make sure your theme is appropriate for a family-friendly audience. Just because we’re targeting adults doesn’t mean we can use themes that are inappropriate for kids. This includes models that depict:

1. Politics, political symbols, campaigns, or movements and religious references including symbols, buildings, or people.

Have you ever gotten feedback from the BDP team about this point in their rules?

I ask because I've been long tinkering with a (non-denominational) medieval chapel build and I'm considering entering it into BDP one of these times.I could see both sides of how you could say these kinds of builds obviously fall foul of the rule, or they obviously don't.

[arselus]

5 hours ago, Yoggington said:

Big fan of your work @arselus. A question if you don't mind;

Have you ever gotten feedback from the BDP team about this point in their rules?

I ask because I've been long tinkering with a (non-denominational) medieval chapel build and I'm considering entering it into BDP one of these times.I could see both sides of how you could say these kinds of builds obviously fall foul of the rule, or they obviously don't.

This is addressed by Alex in the webinars fairly frequently. As long as you don't use religious iconography (cross, crescent moon, etc.) you can submit them. 

Edited October 12, 2025 by arselus

[Yoggington]

Fantastic info, thanks.

[arselus]

Sure, happy to help.

 

Also, one question for any reader - I read all feedback, can you help me:

What direction should I take my MOCs for BDP 10? More iteration on these themes? Or something brand new? 

My goal is mainly to contribute to the world of Castle with something new that TLG would never do, but something that adds depth and richness to the world of Castle. 

Thanks! 

[GeoBrick]

4 hours ago, arselus said:

Sure, happy to help.

 

Also, one question for any reader - I read all feedback, can you help me:

What direction should I take my MOCs for BDP 10? More iteration on these themes? Or something brand new? 

I don't know if creators receive feedback from the BDP team regarding popularity of their proposals, so this is just my 2 cents for what its worth.

I wouldn't try to compete in the 4000 bricks category with a singular building under construction.
Usually, I'm inclined to vote more favourably for something new or a complete overhaul of an earlier idea. This last round, I have the top vote to the reiteration of the Stonemasons Guild, and the honorary vote to the cathedral.
In the case of the reiteration of the Stonemasons Guild, I was quite fond of the recolor and the new type of scaffolding on the construction site. And the oven should be a mainstay.
Perhaps you could try with other important medieval city buildings under construction? A belfry tower, a Guild/Merchant hall, a gate house, an almshouse... ?

[DonQuixote]

6 hours ago, arselus said:

Sure, happy to help.

 

Also, one question for any reader - I read all feedback, can you help me:

What direction should I take my MOCs for BDP 10? More iteration on these themes? Or something brand new? 

My goal is mainly to contribute to the world of Castle with something new that TLG would never do, but something that adds depth and richness to the world of Castle. 

Thanks! 

Those 4 new factions need castles !

[arselus]

17 hours ago, GeoBrick said:

I don't know if creators receive feedback from the BDP team regarding popularity of their proposals, so this is just my 2 cents for what its worth.

I wouldn't try to compete in the 4000 bricks category with a singular building under construction.
Usually, I'm inclined to vote more favourably for something new or a complete overhaul of an earlier idea. This last round, I have the top vote to the reiteration of the Stonemasons Guild, and the honorary vote to the cathedral.
In the case of the reiteration of the Stonemasons Guild, I was quite fond of the recolor and the new type of scaffolding on the construction site. And the oven should be a mainstay.
Perhaps you could try with other important medieval city buildings under construction? A belfry tower, a Guild/Merchant hall, a gate house, an almshouse... ?

Excellent advice, thank you for the votes too. Thank you also for noticing all the changes to the Stonemasons Guild. The scaffolding was quite fun to design. I realized that building it with variations was essential for a smaller project like this. I love the oven too, it was a last minute addition. 

I love the belfry idea (I've already got some thoughts swirling on it), and I already have a guildhall sketched out (in pencil) as a possible BDP 10 project. 

 

16 hours ago, DonQuixote said:

Those 4 new factions need castles !

This is true, but I'll leave that to the dozen other builders who are excellent at faction castles :) 

[Yoggington]

If I was eager to compete, and if I was sticking to the medieval theme, I think a good small to mid-sized set would sell like hot cakes, and get voted for in similar numbers. Has the added benefit of not needing to compete directly with all the 4000-piece behemoths, and maybe needs a little less work on your side. If the "extra large" slot gets taken by something non-medieval (city, pirate, train?), there is a dearth of smaller and medium sets in most categories (good ones, anyway).

How about a wagon train? 3-5 small medieval wagons. You have your farmer's/merchant/soldier wagons of course, but you could also be thinking of the King's Royal transport, or something for transporting prisoners, or a traveling stage. Not a full diorama - but a few small bits of "countryside" or bridge could flesh it out without breaking the piece count.

Edited October 18, 2025 by Yoggington