A different geometry

      People who see symbols everywhere are tiresome; those who deny their presence and role on principle often fall into an excess that is perhaps just as dangerous.

Matila C. Ghyka

Let's take a look at cathedral labyrinths. Some are very famous, such as those in Chartres or Reims. They are enthroned in the center of the nave, and all express a single path that inevitably leads from the periphery to the center. They were sometimes called "Jerusalem leagues". Penitents in need of a pilgrimage could thus make this mystical journey without having to fear the rigors of a trip to the Holy Land or the cruelty of the infidels.

But this is not their only raison d'être, as the existence of these motifs predates the Crusades, Gothic art and Christianity itself. Indeed, from Sweden to Galicia, from England to Greece, numerous prehistoric labyrinths bear witness to the concept's antiquity.

It is generally accepted that these tracings are linked to the Hellenic legend of the myth of Icarus. This Athenian represents the ancient archetype of the initiated architect. In any case, he was the master builder of the mythical labyrinth to which he gave his name. In this sense, we can safely link this character to the legend of Hiram, King Solomon's master architect, present in Masonic rituals and companionship.

But Daedalus, a labyrinth reputed to be inviolable, presented multiple forks and dead ends. Theseus was only able to escape with the help of a famous thread. Its association with medieval labyrinths, which offer only a single path, might seem questionable were it not for the image of Theseus and the Minotaur at the center of the Chartres labyrinth.

 

Fig. 1 - Ariadne, Theseus and the minautore (Master of Cassoni Campana) - D.P.

In fact, the labyrinth seems to be a graphic stylization of the dédale, more related to the architect than to the labyrinth. This explains why the names of master builders or bishops have been inscribed on epigraphs at the center of these labyrinths, as at Reims or Amiens (fig. 2).
These ensembles could testify to an ancient filiation, giving the assurance that the building was constructed according to the rules, by an initiated builder.
It is therefore easy to understand why the church never stopped destroying these initiatory labyrinths, an ostentatious expression of blasphemous paganism.
 

Fig. 2 - Center of the Amiens labyrinth - Credit: Codex - CC-BY-SA

In any case, the extreme variety of their structures and the freedom with which they are arranged seem to rule out any direct link with the master plans. Admittedly, the labyrinth takes up the module of the building that serves as its setting, and is harmoniously oriented within the geometry of the whole. However, from a structural point of view, I was unable to establish any direct correlation.

From a psychological point of view, it's a different story. Labyrinths are apt to awaken numerous resonances in the mind of the penitent who traverses them. Psychomental states oscillate to the rhythm of the meanders imposed by the pavement, and it's almost with surprise that we reach the center of the circuit, motionless and vibrating. This catharsis, this purification operation, is a spiritual alchemy that accompanies mystical introspection through a sacred physical dance.

  

Fig. 3 - Saint-Quentin Labyrinth - Credit: Vincent Zénon Rigaud - http://vincentzenon.com

Apart from Chartres Cathedral and the Basilica of Saint-Quentin (fig. 3), few sanctuaries have been fortunate enough to preserve their labyrinths. As early as the XVII_^eCanon Souchet was already railing against this "mad amusement, in which those who have little to do waste their time twisting and turning". A century later, the canons of Reims got the better of their labyrinth, which was destroyed in 1779. The Arras labyrinth didn't survive the Revolution, while 1825 saw the end of the Amiens labyrinth.

The pretext often put forward for ordering the destruction of the labyrinths was the noise made by the children who had fun running around them, just as if they were simple hopscotches. This excuse does little to disguise the hatred of Gothic architecture expressed by the canons of the period.

 

Marelle ordinaire - Marelle des jours - Cathedral

Historical reality aside, this parallel between labyrinths and hopscotches is no mere rhetorical device. Offering a single path leading to a mystical center eloquently dubbed "Paradise", the round hopscotch is reminiscent of the Gothic labyrinth or the game of goose. In the same family, "seated" hopscotches seem to be the direct representation of a geometric layout or progression.

It's fascinating to see the resemblance between the 9-piece hopscotch and the "triple enceinte" figure, which is itself a reflection of the regular Gothic layout. We'd like to take a closer look at the origins of this symbol.

The etymology of hopscotch is controversial. The most widely accepted relates the term to the Old French "mérelle, méreaux", i.e. a token, a puck. Others believe it comes from the fusion of the Latin mereo, meaning "to be worthy of something", and meritum, roughly meaning "reward". A new trend seeks to associate both the terms méreaux and marelle with the pre-Roman Marr meaning "stone".
However, the etymology linking marelle to the Greek meros is the most attractive. Meros implies the idea of shares, of measurement, of distribution, which is perfectly expressed by the geometric pattern of a hopscotch.

The figure is indistinctly called triple enclosure, labyrinth, magic square, mill game or hopscotch. Its origins are lost in the mists of time. They can be found in Egypt, in Troy over 5,000 years ago, in the Indus Valley and in Ireland during the Bronze Age. In France, they can be found on the walls of castles, churches, commanderies, paving stones, caves, in a wide variety of places. But the freedom with which these are arranged means that no correlation can be made.

There are few examples of Neolithic triple enclosures in France. I'd like to single out the " pierre aux chevaux " hopscotch in the Vosges and the " pierre de La Turbale " in Loire-Atlantique. Not so long ago, the stone discovered in 1800 at Suève in the Loir-et-Cher department was still being talked about as "Druidic" at the time. But the latest research has put things back in their proper place. While the stone is ancient, the origin of the engraving is indisputably medieval. Proof, if any were needed, of the construction that went into its layout and positioning, demonstrating a definite knowledge of geometry. This makes it the work of a stonemason skilled in the art of the line.

The relationship between the triple enclosure and the labyrinth mentioned above may come as a surprise. But it becomes clearer if we study the plan of the religious site of Uruk in Mesopotamia. We can clearly see (fig. 5) a triple enclosure, each polygon with an opening. The result is a kind of simplified labyrinth.

 
Fig. 5 - Uruk site (Mesopotamia)

What happened in Uruk happened in the West millennia later: "The labyrinth takes the form of a game (notably the game of the goose). [...] Finally, the ultimate avatar, the labyrinth [becomes] the game of hopscotch". Once again, symbols telescope and refer to each other. In this example, the relationship between the triple enclosure and architecture is obvious.
The esoteric significance of the layout remains. In the light of the Liber chronicarum, also known as the "Universal Chronicle" or "Nuremberg Chronicle", we understand that it represented a biblical architectural archetype, the heavenly Jerusalem (fig. 6). This drawing schematizes Ezekiel's prophetic vision of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Fig. 6 - Folio LXVI of the "Liber chronicarum" (1493) - D.P.

The same drawing also appears in the Postilla in Bibliam by Nicolas de Lyres (1270-1349). These plates simply decipher the ancient figure of the heavenly Jerusalem (fig. 7), which can be found in the miniatures illustrating the apocalypse by Beatus de Liébana or in those of L'apocalypse de Saint-Sever (_11th century). It should be noted that the origin of this representation probably predates the 9th^century .
However, the drawing hides a secret: a triple enclosure. At first glance, the eye does not perceive this outline. Following the rules of traditional symbolism, the artist has deliberately concealed it from the layman.

Look at figure 8. Each side of the miniature is delimited by lines which, if extended, intersect to form the three enclosures. This shows that, from the very beginning, the esoteric symbolism of the triple enclosure was present in the iconography of the heavenly Jerusalem.

 
Fig. 7 - Beatus de Liébana, (1047) - D.P.

 
Fig. 8 - The hidden triple enclosure

To sum up, the triple enclosure can be seen as a regulating layout, a geometric progression, symbolizing the heavenly Jerusalem. It's a secret, concealed layout, which explains why it's so rare, indeed virtually absent from the ornamental landscape of churches and cathedrals. It was reserved for a small circle of initiates.

It should be noted that Freemasonry has never directly claimed this symbol. Some obediences use it as an allusion to their rituals, the symbolic layout of the Temple and the representation of the three main degrees of initiation. René Guenon confirms this last point, but I lack the reliable information to develop it further. In any case, the relationship with architecture here is very distant.

Fig. 9 - Detail of the paving in Amiens Cathedral.

One hypothesis that is frequently put forward is that the triple enclosure is associated with the Celtic cross. In Celtic circles, the triple enclosure is known as the "Druidic square". So it's only natural to associate the circles of the cross - Keugant, Abred and Gwenwed - with each of the enclosures. Interesting stuff. Unfortunately, there are no direct historical sources to support this thesis. But we can't dismiss it with a shrug. In the land of symbols, surprises abound.

The Celtic cross, which undoubtedly incorporates Druid symbolism, is innocently hidden behind the cross of the single religion. So it's quite conceivable that a late syncretism might have fused the Celtic cross with the symbolism of the Heavenly Jerusalem. In the same way, the triple enclosure is hidden in the center of the cathedral, in the Latin cross. As for the so-called "ordinary" or "day" hopscotches, they seem directly inspired by Christian church floor plans.

So far, hopscotches have concealed both operative and symbolic content. We must therefore ask ourselves whether they are not a kind of instruction manual, a guide to cathedrals. We're cousins here of a "shack slang" or a gothic cabal art, which François Villon would not refute. First and foremost, we need to determine the rules and identify correlations. The drawing of the hopscotch determines a path progressing from the outside inwards. This is followed by a gyration movement, leading to the ultimate stage, that of the "Moon" or "Paradise".

If we accept the parallel between this game and a church layout, the adept enters through the western portal and proceeds up the nave. Arriving at the transept crossing, which in ordinary hopscotch is sometimes referred to as the "table", he takes the ambulatory in the direction indicated by the succession of days of the week. In other words, counter-clockwise. This senestrogyric gyration corresponds to the direction of the Earth's rotation, as each day is governed by a planet. Thus, Sunday corresponds to the Sun, Monday to the Moon, Tuesday to Mars, Wednesday to Mercury, Thursday to Jupiter, Friday to Venus, Saturday to Saturn.

According to the rules, the player then enters Paradise. Along with the "resting place", this is the only place where hopping is no longer compulsory and/or where they can remain simultaneously posed. We can therefore agree that the "cloche pied" represents walking, and the "reposoir" or "paradise", places where you can meditate with your feet glued to the ground, in contact with tellurism.

It's a veritable labyrinth that the initiate must complete in the sanctuary to draw its benefits. This concept of a mystical journey was not unknown to Henry Vincenot, who gave another version and called it "the little labyrinth":
"They climbed all the way up the central nave, descended it gravely, took the north aisle, which they climbed again, passed in front of the choir, where they made a prostration on their knees, descended the south aisle, climbed the central nave again, with very slow steps, and stopped on the transept crossing, their eyes raised towards the back of the apse for a long moment".

I'll relate this "little labyrinth" to Grall's Tables tour (see Les cathédrales retracées p.163): "The tables here are mystical and symbolic crucibles, receptacles bearing the Grail. Anyone wishing to find the Grail must look for it on the three tables. Indeed, the layout of a Gothic cathedral immediately reveals them in the form of a rectangular nave, a square crossing and a circular choir.
If you enter through the nave, you're walking against the telluric current, soaking it in. Seeing the light of the choir, he moves forward, dances on the labyrinth, and once purified takes his place on the cross of the transept, where the light of the roses reveals the axis of the world(axis mundi). The spirit gains two additional directions.
If it is worthy of a place on the round table, it will turn away from the profane world, facing the current to better immerse itself in it. The spirit becomes circular, transcending directions.
The alchemical work has been accomplished, the spirit of the world(spiritus mundi) has done its work. The initiate, the knight, has finished his quest, he has found the Grail."

It would be risky to draw any further conclusions from this ageless game, although other variants of hopscotch are organized around a single spiral, reminiscent of the labyrinth and the game of the goose. The latter, whose square 42 is coincidentally called the labyrinth, takes us back to the cagots' crow's feet. The circle is complete... (read the first chapters of the book).

It's time to introduce you to the Visigothic church in the province of Lugo, Galicia. It's a perfect example of what we mean. It's the western portal, or more precisely the tympanum, that will catch our attention (fig. 10).

Fig. 10 - San Fiz de Cangas (Porch) - credit: Jaume - CC-BY-SA

At the top is a Greek cross (with branches of identical size) flanked by a moon to the sinister and a sun to the dexter. These figures dominate an ensemble composed of a single seated hopscotch and a triple enclosure.

We are in Celtic lands, traversed by the pilgrim labyrinth leading to Compostela. Along these sacred paths, Romans, Visigoths, Carolingians, monks, journeymen and other Cagots met, worked and shared their techniques. These petroglyphs bear witness to this secret history of men, religions and knowledge.

N.B. You've reached the end of the book extracts. However, this site offers neither an introduction nor a conclusion. To do that, you'd have to go through the whole text again, talking about the evolution of the cathedral idea over the centuries and the different issues it raises: orientation, financing, symbolism, etc.

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