The Labyrinths of Faith Part 2​. By Etruscan Corner

Labyrinths are motifs that seem to belong neither to Christian architecture nor to the history of Christian decorative arts.
In any case, walking through a labyrinth means following a "spiritual journey" designed according to principles such as harmonious proportion and alternating energy.

The Greeks and Romans also made extensive use of labyrinths in their mosaics. After a hiatus of several centuries due to the collapse of the Roman Empire, the era of Gothic cathedrals revived the use of the labyrinth to symbolize the long and winding path to salvation. Unfortunately, most of them were later removed because they distracted from religious functions.

There are many indirect references to the labyrinth as a spiritual instrument. Abbess Hildegard of Bingen defined divinity as "a circle, a wheel, a whole." In the Divine Comedy, Dante uses both the metaphor and the image of the labyrinth. The imagined Inferno is, in fact, a deep chasm consisting of nine interconnected concentric circles.

We find labyrinthine decorations both in the capitals of Gothic columns and in illuminated manuscripts, but nothing resembling the true classical labyrinths we saw in the previous article (Labyrinths of Faith Part 1).

While Christians used the labyrinths of pre-Christian sites and modeled their own on those used by earlier cultures, the development of the seven-circuit Christian labyrinth of the early Middle Ages represented a breakthrough in design. Its seven-circuit route was cruciform (cross-shaped), incorporating the central Christian symbol.

What, then, is the significance of labyrinths in Christian art and, more specifically, in cathedral floors?

The most widespread explanation holds that these labyrinths were originally used as symbolic allusions to the Holy City (Jerusalem), and these labyrinths served as substitutes for pilgrimage routes, which were therefore considered symbolic routes to the Holy Land. Those unable to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem would walk these labyrinths, some even on their knees, reciting specific devotions (such as the Stations of the Cross, for example). This type of symbolic pilgrimage was apparently practiced in Chartres in the 17th century, and some accounts refer to these labyrinths as "Roads to Jerusalem" ("Chemin de Jerusalem").

Instead of the seven convolutions of classical labyrinths, Gothic labyrinths have eleven. According to Christian numerical symbolism, eleven represents sin, transgression, and intemperance (since it exceeds the number of commandments) and imperfection (since the perfect number of twelve has not yet been reached). Thus, the world of sin is placed under the saving sign of Christ, who conquers Satan.

What happens when you walk in a labyrinth? It would be interesting to try.

The Sacred Path of the Labyrinth

Every man's life is a labyrinth. Walking through it means entering a world of twists and turns, of returning to oneself and a tortuous path toward a destination. There is also the fear of the unknown and of what we don't understand. The Age of Enlightenment considered the world explainable through science, medieval man through spirituality.

At that time, the cathedral was the center and heart of the city, because in addition to religious activities, meetings and celebrations were also held there. Therefore, despite being a sacred building, it constituted a link between the human and the divine, between earth and heaven. Labyrinths can be closed or open. Those that are closed use walls to separate the different paths or parts of paths and blind the walker to the entire scheme. Labyrinths used in a spiritual context are never closed. The design is flat on the surface; the walker's vision is unobstructed.

The Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool

Yet there is still something sacred and initiatory in the labyrinthine structure.

It has only one path, winding from the outer edge to the center. There are no tricks or dead ends. The labyrinth is a spiritual tool that can help you find your way.

Dr. Lauren Artress, “Veriditas”

Templar Labyrinths

It seems that the labyrinth design was present in King Solomon's temple and was brought to France by the Knights Templar.

The most precious knowledge, perhaps the true treasure of the Knights Templar, was Gnosis, and also Sophia, who symbolically lived at the center of the labyrinths. This treasure was protected by the labyrinthine coils, and for this reason, access was reserved only for initiates, those who knew the ritual rules of mystical entry to the sacred center.

Gnosis literally means "knowledge," in the context of spiritual knowledge, or divine intuition, emerging directly from within, like an inner voice, a gut feeling, or conscience; independent of any external data.

Sophia means wisdom in Greek, and is historically depicted as a goddess, representing the feminine aspect of all things.

Gothic art swept across Europe, but it was in France that cathedrals arose almost suddenly, just as the Templars returned from the Holy Land. This has given rise to a fascinating theory that the Templars were the architects of these buildings: during their excavations in Jerusalem, they discovered the ancient secrets of Hiram, the builder of the Temple of Jerusalem. Jacques de Mahieu, for example, maintains that among the secrets unearthed were ancient documents that allowed the Templars to reach America, where, thanks to the exploitation of Mexican silver mines, they raised enough money to finance the construction of the cathedrals.

The labyrinth represents the alchemist's perilous and arduous journey; it is a place of confusion that requires mental stamina and careful decision-making, and the image appears frequently in alchemical texts. Alchemists believed that the only way to overcome the labyrinth was through divine inspiration and guidance.

Alchemy of the Philosophers, Salvador Dalí

The image of the labyrinth is also linked to ritual dances and steps, rules of life and mystical examples, and advice to neophytes lost in potentially dangerous and deadly territories.

Gothic Labyrinths

The most famous is located in France, in Chartres Cathedral. Other medieval cathedrals and churches preserve the allegorical figure of the labyrinth within them: for example, in Amiens, Bayeux, Orléans, Toulouse, and in the masterpiece of early Christian and Byzantine art, the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna.

The one in Reims was destroyed 200 years ago; the one in Mirepoix Cathedral features a Minotaur at its center. It is strange and difficult to explain why the labyrinth appears exclusively in churches in Italy and France, and the close formal similarities between the labyrinths of the churches of northern France and the grass labyrinths of southern England.

An anonymous author writes: "The medieval Christian Church adopted the pagan labyrinth and adapted it to its own use by including Christian symbolism in the scheme."

Therefore, in the Middle Ages, the labyrinth took on new connotations that attempted to conceal its original mythological meaning and become a religious symbol, indicating the difficulty of imperfect man in reaching God.

Chartres Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is located approximately 80 km southwest of Paris, France. Built between 1194 and 1220 AD, it was built on the site previously occupied by at least five other churches, built when the Diocese of Chartres was established as an episcopal see in the 4th century AD.

It is in High Gothic and Romanesque style, and one of its most notable features is the presence of a labyrinth built into the floor of the main nave.
The labyrinth was built in the 13th century AD, has a circumference of 12.85 m, and a length of 261.5 m. It is oriented west-east.

This labyrinth, whose entrance is to the west—the side where the sun sets, a symbol of death, and, if you will, of the imperfect, the impure—offers an uninterrupted path toward the east, where the sun rises, a symbol of Christ's light and salvation. Indeed, when the pilgrim completes his circuits and reaches the center, he finds himself in the axis of the cathedral altar and can finally enter into communion and "merge" with Christ. Turning around and retracing the labyrinth in reverse is therefore unnecessary.

The Thread, The Ball of Yarn

Chartres isn't a real labyrinth. Everything in a labyrinth is designed to get you lost: multiple choices of direction, dead ends, etc. In Chartres, there is only one lane, running linearly from the entrance to the finish line.

Its main function appears to have been to support the celebrations of Easter, and therefore of the Resurrection. On this occasion, the cathedral's major canon, carrying a ball of yellow wool, walked through the entire labyrinth before the congregation. Upon reaching the center, he threw the ball to the devotees arranged in a circle around the labyrinth. This gesture was meant to represent Christ conquering hell and death and freeing souls with the grace of his mercy. Songs and dances to the rhythm of three counts, in honor of the resurrection on the third day, accompanied this ritual.

The ceremony seems too out of place compared to the rigorous ritual practices of the time: Iter circolare, iter diabolicus, "circular path, diabolical path..." which led to its ban in 1538.

Lucca Cathedral

The 12th-century labyrinth of Lucca Cathedral predated that of Chartres by a few decades. The small labyrinth carved in stone is located on the right pillar of the façade's portico and bears a still clearly visible Latin inscription:

HIC QUEM / CRETICUS / EDIT DEDA – / LUS EST / LABERINT / HUS DEQ(U)- / O NULLU – / S VADER – / E QUIVIT / QUI FUIT / INTUS / NI THESE – / US GRAT – / IS ADRIAN – / E STAMI- / NE IUTUS which can be translated as: This is the labyrinth built by Daedalus of Crete, from which no one who entered could escape except Theseus, aided by Ariadne's thread.

At its center is a time-worn figure that, according to some scholars, represents Theseus and the Minotaur.

Why do we find a pagan inscription in a Catholic church? Throughout history, the labyrinth has also been attributed with magical, superstitious, and propitiatory powers, attracting and trapping evil spirits within its coils.
In the legend of the labyrinth of Theseus and Ariadne, however, we find a single-path labyrinth, deceptive only in appearance, as it presents no forks or detours: Ariadne's stratagem, therefore, represents more than salvation, a course of action.

Catholicism borrowed this powerful symbolism and turned it into an allegory of faith. The center of the labyrinth is therefore salvation, that is, God; Ariadne's thread is faith, the only thing capable of leading us back to divine light and turning us away from sin. The Church rediscovers the powerful transformative force of this archaic design on the human psyche and reintroduces it to the service of its dogmas, as a symbol of life, death, and rebirth in Christ.

Labyrinth of the Church of St. Francis, Alatri

Alatri, a small town in the province of Frosinone in Lazio, boasts Roman and medieval monuments, including many beautiful churches and palaces dating from the 11th to 13th centuries AD.

In 1996, during restoration work on the 13th-century Church of St. Francis of Assisi, a tunnel with a series of frescoes on the walls was discovered. Spirals, circles, plants, flowers, and a unique depiction of "Christ in Glory" or "Christ the Judge" at the center of a large labyrinth. The origin of this artwork remains unknown to this day.
The placement of an image of Christ within a labyrinth is unknown elsewhere, while the design of the frescoed labyrinth in Alatri is essentially identical to that of the nave floor of Chartres Cathedral in France.

According to Professor Graziella Frezza of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the Alatri frescoes date between the 11th and 14th centuries, and the Knights Templar are currently considered the likely patrons of the "Christ in the Labyrinth" fresco. Giancarlo Pavat, a historical researcher for a museum in Rome and an Italian expert on labyrinths, notes the presence of several crosses pattée, typical of the Templars, both on the counterfaçade of the church of San Francesco, where the work is located, and in the church of San Silvestro.

The presence of the Knights Templar in Alatri, an important center of Christianity for centuries, is confirmed by other small clues. On the steps leading up to the church of San Francesco, probably made of reused material, two triple rings are engraved. This symbol has significant historical significance and, according to some theories, represents the architecture of the ancient Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, from which the Templars' name derives.

Perhaps it's part of a medieval initiatory pilgrimage devised by the Knights Templar; a route that crosses Europe, from Scandinavia to England, from France to Italy. Giancarlo Pavat deciphers the mysterious symbolism and reveals the sacred path of the Knights Templar, leading from churches to cathedrals and basilicas throughout Europe.

The origins of the city of Alatri are ancient and shrouded in mystery. It is famous for its triple wall and especially for its acropolis, with 15-meter-high polygonal walls made of enormous boulders. The acropolis has two megalithic gates: the Porta Maggiore (main entrance) and the Porta Minore (minor entrance) or Porta dei Phalli. The Porta Maggiore opens on the southern side of the acropolis and is 4.5 meters (14.76 feet) high and 2.68 meters (8.79 feet) wide. It was built by stacking eight enormous limestone blocks, surmounted by a megalithic architrave approximately 5 meters long and estimated to weigh at least 27 tons. The Porta Minore is also incredible. Its monolithic architrave, carved with three apotropaic phallic symbols (largely erased in the Middle Ages) that give it its name, is 3.5 meters (11.48 feet) long. Phallic symbols we've already seen painted on the ceiling of the Hermitage of Poggio Conte (Ischia di Castro)

The builders of these megalithic walls are unknown, and their date is uncertain. Some archaeologists date them between the 6th and 4th centuries BC, others estimate they are even older, at least around 1000 BC.

Christianized Labyrinth

The Christianized labyrinth became a tool of prayer. Because there is only one way to get to and from the center of a labyrinth—unlike multi-course labyrinths with dead ends—a person can walk without paying much attention to their surroundings. It is believed that this frees the mind to meditate on other things or simply remain in silence.

In 2022, a labyrinth was discovered in the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Colle del Fico di Ferentino, in the province of Frosinone. The discovery was made by researcher Marco Di Donato, who conducted important studies on the medieval symbolism present in the Abbey of Goleto. The Church of Sant'Antonio Abate is an important church, built in the mid-13th century by Pietro del Morrone, who would later become Pope Celestine V.

The Medieval Labyrinth is engraved inside the church and represents the Jerusalem Way, or the Way of Atonement, undertaken by pilgrims who were unable to undertake the journey to the Holy Land. There are only a few engraved labyrinths in Italy: Pontremoli (MS), Lucca (LU), Tossicia (TE), Sonnino (LT), Colli al Volturno (IS), Petrella Tifernina (CB), and Conversano (BA).

The labyrinth of Ferentino also appears to have been commissioned by the Templars. Ferentino's strategic location, close to the most important road networks of central Italy, has made it an obligatory transit point since the Middle Ages for travel to the area's largest monasteries: Trisulti, Casamari, Fossanova, Montecassino, and Subiaco.

Everything in cathedrals had a secret aspect—just think of the statues, bas-reliefs, and esoteric and magical symbols that crowd these buildings, having nothing to do with Christianity. How could one deny this same character to the labyrinth?

Suffice it to recall that during the spring, the bishop himself led the dances, the "Easter round dances," inside Chartres Cathedral. These dances remind us of labyrinthine dances and their "dark" nature, especially since they mimicked the movements of the serpent, a highly symbolic animal, which thus represents the new man, reborn after walking the labyrinth, wearing a new skin.

Some authors believe that traversing the labyrinth and then emerging from it was a true initiation, in which man returned to the golden age, the Lost Paradise, only after retracing all the steps that had led him away from the Adamic state. And this journey would have been the conquest of the center, which in mystery religions was equivalent to the Lesser Mysteries.

The medieval cathedrals scattered across Europe are one of the most precious treasures that our ancestors have left us as a legacy.

Even the most inattentive observer experiences intense emotion when faced with one of them. Facades, bell towers, sculptures, capitals, stained-glass windows, and cloisters bear witness to an era in which humanity reached one of the highest points of its evolution. We generally know many details about their construction, as well as the subsequent events surrounding them. Yet, writes Christian Jacq, we know little about their true meaning.

Our age, dominated by rationalism and individualism, confines these masterpieces to an exclusively artistic and historical dimension. Yet they speak to humanity on a much deeper level because they enclose mysteries and contain symbols linked to the very essence of spiritual life.

Gothic cathedrals are treasure chests of wisdom, centers of that knowledge that transcends beliefs and traditions and belongs to all humankind. Overshadowed by Greco-Roman civilization, this heritage expresses the extraordinary esoteric richness of the West, which draws its inspiration from the cultures of the Mediterranean basin, primarily from Pharaonic Egypt.

But who, then, were the builders of the cathedrals? Brilliant artists, skilled master builders, excellent craftsmen? Or, above all, the custodians of an ancient wisdom expressed in symbols capable of spanning centuries and cultures, speaking of God to every man and bringing Knowledge to all?

The Message of the Cathedral Builders, Christian Jacq

Like mandalas, labyrinths are archetypal collective symbols that transcend all cultures because they are rooted in consciousness itself. - The Labyrinths of Faith Part 2