The Cathedral Builder Who Never Saw the Spire

In 1248, Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden laid the foundation stone for the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. He envisioned a soaring Gothic masterpiece that would house the relics of the Three Magi and stand as a monument to God's glory. Konrad poured his life into the project, but he died in 1261 with the walls barely rising above the ground. His successors continued the work — generation after generation of stonemasons, architects, and bishops.…