Oriental Carpets as God Intended

On a recent trip to England, I visited York Minster. Despite my fascination with gothic architecture in all its forms, I found myself running around snapping photos of—of all things—the carpets. (I figured a much better photographer than I had already spent time with the stonework and the medieval stained glass.) There was nothing strikingly rare or unique about these particular carpets; it’s the fact that they were there at all. Too often, churches use godawful bordello-red synthetic broadloom. But here, at last, were carpets used appropriately, highlighting all their artistic, symbolic, and practical qualities and helping to create a feeling of transcendence. A gorgeous antique Kurdish rug before one…