Built over a century ago, Montgomery County’s historic landmark Bryn Athyn Cathedral tells a fascinating story of stone and time, writes Beth Kephart for Philly.com.

Home to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, the cathedral was created as a form of living architecture, as told by Raymond Pitcairn, who funded and oversaw its construction.

“The art of such building abhors the impress of triangle and T-square; it loves hand work, respects always the limitations of the materials and the crafts employed,” he wrote at the time.

However today, many of the original decorative elements including several of its Romanesque-Gothic finials are in obvious need of repair.

Jens Langlotz, the Cathedral’s master stone carver and his assistant, Grayson Zuber, are taking on the complicated task of restoring them.

Langlotz, who learned masonry in his native Germany, came to Bryn Athyn three decades ago to help with the restoration. Similarly, Zuber came to the cathedral seven years ago to do some work on a stone walkway and never left.

The detailed restoration could take the artisans nearly two decades to complete, ensuring that the cathedral will remain their home for the foreseeable future.

Read more about the historic landmark at Philly.com by clicking here.