Raphael and the Noble Task

by Catherine Salton

Raphael is a griffin, one of the ferocious stone creatures sworn to guard the Cathedral from harm. Yet Raphael feels a mysterious longing for something more -- a Noble Task, one that will bring meaning to his life. When a baby is abandoned at the Cathedral door, Raphael believes he's found his Noble Task at last. But Raphael soon learns that caring for the child brings danger and sacrifice as well as love. And when the baby's mother returns, only to find that her child is missing, Raphael must set things right by performing an act of enormous courage: an act that depends not only on a legend kept secret for generations but that will demand of him all of his heart and soul to prevail. More than twenty illustrations bring the characters of the Cathedral to life in this unforgettable adventure, destined to be cherished as an enduring Christmas classic.

Genres: Christmas, Fantasy, Fiction, Holiday

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2000

Reviews

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review from 2014:
This is a Christmas classic for me, about gargoyles, and chimères, and mice clans, and faith, and purpose, and love that sacrifices for the benefit of another, and community, and angels, and miracles. It's good stuff, highly recommended.

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2017: This is my fourth or fifth reading of this personal classic. It is such a beautiful Christmas story about love, mission, purpose, and sacrifice. I think we're all looking for our own noble task. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a Christmas fairy tale.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a darling story about a cathedral chimere who desires to have a Noble Task. Beautiful lessons and nuggets of wisdom throughout. This would make a great read aloud. Next year I plan to.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raphael is a griffin, one of the ferocious stone creatures sown to guard the Cathedral from harm. Yet Raphael feels a mysterious longing for something more -- a Noble Task, one that will bring meaning to his life.

When a baby is abandoned at the Cathedral door, Raphael believes he's found his Noble Task at last. But Raphael soon learns that caring for the child brings danger and sacrifice as well as love. And when the baby's mother returns, only to find that her child is missing, Raphael must set things right by performing an act of enormous courage: an act that depends not only on a legend kept secret for generations but that will demand of him all of his heart and soul to prevail. This would make a great Christmas read for children.

I purchased this book in a "Mom & Pop" book store in California. I bought it because of the twenty amazing wood block illustrations by David Weitzman.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweetly written little Christmas story about a stone statue named Raphael on a cathedral somewhere in France in an undisclosed place at sometime in the Middle Ages. A lovely not cloyingly religious tale about growing up, finding and losing something precious, and learning what we are really made of in a pinch. Had a tear at the end. A loo look very little work from 20 years ago.

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful novel about Raphael, a chimere who guards a Cathedral. But he is bored and lonely, and seeks a noble task to give his days meaning. When he spots a desperate woman leaving her baby at the Cathedral, he is concerned since he knows that the monks don't have food. He fears that the baby will starve, so he swoops down to rescue him. With the help of the mice, the pigeons and the gargoyles, he performs his 'noble' task of taking care of his young charge. But life is never what you might think it is, and Raphael learns a new meaning of nobility as the Cathedral prepares for Christmas Eve celebrations.
The language of the novel alternates between a formal style, suitable to the description of the Cathedral and its history, and a more updated, colloquial approach to connect young readers to the history. I normally don't like the injection of modern ideas into an historical story, and I don't like it here, but I can see where it might make the tale more engaging to young minds, so I will give Salton a pass on that particular literary sin.
I think Salton tied everything up in delightful style. She has an originality that is rare, and much appreciated by this reader.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was a sweet story about a gargoyle (a chimere really) and a noble task he sets out to achieve from his position atop a cathedral. There are some really sweet moments in the book and it has a nice ending.
It has a fun setting of an old medieval cathedral and it brings many animals and statues to life. This book works for ages 10 on up and would make a great read aloud with younger kids.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful tale of a Chimere in a French Cathedral in Medieval times. Raphael needs a noble task and rescues a baby left at the Abbey for the monks to raise. It turns out we all have noble tasks - "to love others as we love ourselves and more." Written with style and grace and a gentle sense of humour. Monks, villagers, pigeons, mice, gargoyles and chimeres. All different but all joined by a common cause, to look after the baby. A delightful story of gentleness and purpose.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept was interesting and the writing was descriptive. However, not that looking after a baby isn't a "noble task" in real life, but when it came to being about a baby, I lost all interest in this book. It seemed to retcon quite a lot before the end (new details added in), like the author didn't initially know where things were going to go. Oh well. I'm giving this book away.

[Kelsey Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just adorable. The writing style is clever, the characters diverse and endearing, and the world is painted so vividly you can pretty much just watch it play in your head. It would be great to read out loud to the family. :]

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this for awhile now. Highly recommended by a good friend, this book did not disappoint. Taking place within the setting of a grand cathedral, the statues, effigies, gargoyles, and chimeres (grotesques) come to life, interacting with mice and birds. One chimere in particular, Raphael, embarks on his own "noble quest" in an attempt to assuage feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and unrest. At the conclusion of the story, Raphael has learned that "Nobel Tasks are made up not of sentiment but of struggle, a test of everything in his heart and will" (p.138).

Quotes:

"Raphael sensed that his obsession was not good for him and for many days he tried to fight it. Every time he felt that he was evil, or could not have a Noble Task, or felt perilously on the edge of despair, he called to mind the young mother in the Lady Chapel. When he did, his fear would fall away and he would feel refreshed in his resolve. But as each new dawn brought nothing but unbroken silence and merciless cold, it was ever since slightly harder to muster the determination to remember what he could of the lady's lovely self. Gradually, it became too much of an effort to think of good things; yet as always, the sad and bitter thoughts remained easy to bring to mind. The desolation outside had crept inside the young chimere as well.

"It was in this state that Raphael's good heart, so weakened by his loss of hope, nearly failed him" (p. 44).

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not give five star ratings lightly, but I adored this sweet story. It is an instant classic for me. I challenge you to read this book, aloud with a young person or people in your life if possible, but read it. (Plus, there are Anglo-Saxon and Welsh references which make it even more fabulous.)

Here are some quotes to give you a sense of the book's flavor.

-He believed (as some people still do even though they are much older and ought to know better) that the things he wanted were the most important things in the world.

-"So the story began that if a Noble Task arises, all of us are given the strength to fulfill it. " -Erian, Great Elder of the Mouse Clans.

-Now, Brother Michael knew better than to be so unkind, but he'd mistakenly decided that preparations for a Christmas celebration were much more important than helping someone in distress. (You'll find that even nowadays people make this very same mistake.)

-"You are not ugly, she said, stroking him gently. "How can anyone who loves a child be ugly?"

-"Our Noble Task is never really finished for any of us," replied the Voice, "for we are always asked to do it, over and over, loving others as we love ourselves, and sometimes more."

[Trudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I picked up from the New Arrivals section at the library and didn't expect much from it. I ended up really enjoying it! It is a great quick read for Christmas time or any time.

[Andria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, quick little Christmas time read.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little Christmas story ... a quick read.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming little read. Nice for kids who have a higher lexical ability for their age.