An exciting construction....
The Chartres labyrinth cannot be considered as a simple decorative element.
The elaboration of his drawing calls upon the most advanced mathematical knowledge of his time. It should be recalled that the Middle Ages were obsessed with the certainty that numbers and proportions were the basis for understanding everything. Each discovery of relationships between numbers or forms was considered as additional evidence of the existence of a universal law.
Built in a building where geometry links all the parts together and in which a very small number of dimensions impose their law everywhere, everything was done to ensure that the Chartres labyrinth
could play its role as a spiritual high place for which it was endowed with a degree of symbolism never equalled in any other labyrinth
...and surprising
* When the rose on the facade is projected onto the pavement, this rose dedicated to the resurrection of the dead corresponds exactly to the labyrinth, and the centre of the rose where Christ appears in
majesty is then superimposed on the centre of the labyrinth 24.
This becomes all the more meaningful after the latest discoveries of the Rectorate of Chartres (see below "origin and symbolism")
* By its dimensions, it is geometrically connected to the entire building at specific points and proportions, such as its centre, which corresponds exactly to 1 of the major anchor points of the master plan for the entire building.
* It was built in the "official" lineage of the labyrinths for its circular shape with 11 concentric rings, and almost all its constituent parts are based on the very specific geometry of the circle, symbol of eternity and infinity.
* At the time, the unit of measurement was not the decimal system but the Roman foot (294.45mm), it was this Roman foot that served as the basic unit for the builders of the cathedral.
* In their book, Odette and John Ketley-Laporte note that the labyrinth has two main dimensions (p. 111):
- the total diameter corresponding to the widest outer circle, including the edge of festoons, the measurement of which in Roman foot remains related to the cathedral
- and the "mystical" diameter of the widest circle without the border that has measurements and proportions intrinsic to the labyrinth.
The serrated border would then serve as a border between the world of the profane who uses the standard Roman foot on the outside and that of the sacred, who has his own measure on the inside.
Thus the entire inner figure of the labyrinth was calculated on the "foot of the Master", of which there are few historical elements except its size, which was used for all the internal measurements, i.e. 294.2mm, assuming that it belonged to the 1st Project Manager who would have developed the figure, even if others continued the work in progress afterward.
Taking measurements in feet and not in meters also makes it possible to find number and proportion ratios that do not appear with our unit of measurement:
If, for example, we measure the central rosette in cm, nothing obvious appears, whereas if we use the foot, we realize that this motif, whose geometry is far from being as simple as it seems, incorporates circles,
whose diameters include the symbolic and harmonic numbers 3, 5, 7, and 10. (see diagram)
*** Many other surprising details exist, the list here is not exhaustive.
Origin and Symbolism
Labyrinths have been found in all cultures and continents since 2500 BC.
Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Indians, Mayans, Europeans, Australians and Amerindians all realized the motif of the labyrinth at some point and it was adopted as a sacred symbol by many religions.
Unlike many others, the Chartres labyrinth is covered by a single path that runs for 261.55 m, from the outside to the inside, so it is not a figure made to be lost.
The path of this path could be considered as a metaphor for a spiritual journey, a symbolic, meditative or initiatory path to find oneself, to go to the centre of oneself, to the centre of God...
It could be compared to the inner path that leads to the famous "knowing yourself" or used as a "mandala" (Indian or Tibetan meditation drawing), inviting to meditate on yourself.
Druids and alchemists also have their symbolism of the labyrinth whose objective is to lead to the transfiguration of the ego (death of the Minotaur), to the death of the beast that is in man.
Position of the Chartres Rectorate: latest discoveries
The Chartres labyrinth evokes, through its engraved plaque which was in its centre, that of Greek mythology, built by the architect Daedalus to lock up a monstrous creature, the Minotaur.
Several texts from the Middle Ages evoke an astonishing celebration that took place in the Middle Ages during the evening of Easter: At the sound of a Gregorian chant proclaiming the resurrection of Christ,
the oldest priest solemnly walked the meanders of the labyrinth, with a rhythmic step, while we walked around. The dean had a large yellow ball on his chest. Once he reached the centre, he threw the ball to all
the participants, who immediately sent it back to him, leading to a lively and festive dance.
Gilles Fresson, coordinator of the Cathedral of Chartres, explains how this liturgy highlights the true use of the labyrinth and how "behind the impression of a'game', was in reality represented - symbolically -
one of the essential truths of the Christian faith: the risen Christ.
- In ancient Greek mythology, Theseus enters the labyrinth of Crete, kills the minotaur there, and emerges with the help of the Ariadne's thread.
- In the choreography of the ritual that took place in the Middle Ages, Christ (Theseus) crosses the hells (the labyrinth), faces Satan (the Minotaur), triumphs over the powers of death, offering his light (yellow)
to all those who are ready to receive it: either a sure path (the pelota-the thread) to eternal life. »
The path of the labyrinth would thus - initially - be an evocation of the resurrection, that of Christ.
Today
The Chartres labyrinth, heir to a long tradition, has certainly inspired many other church labyrinths (Reims, Amiens, Bayeux, Mirepoix,...). However, no other has ever achieved the degree of perfection
that Chartres' degree of perfection testifies to.
Unfortunately, by the end of the 13th century, it seems that his message was beginning to fade in the very minds of the most faithful to be nothing more than a very vague memory in the 17th century. Many labyrinths have thus disappeared, and the Chartres labyrinth owes its survival, on the one hand to the excellent quality of the stone it is built with, and on the other hand to the lack of resources in 1828 which put on hold the restoration of the paving.
Also since 1995, every Friday, the chairs that cover the paving of the labyrinth have been removed to allow the public to see it as a whole and to walk through it..