Mazes
From Maze
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===Mazes in Religion=== | ===Mazes in Religion=== | ||
| − | In Christendom, mazes begin to appear on the floors of cathedrals and basilicas, which themselves are already highly symbolic spaces. | + | In Christendom, mazes begin to appear on the floors of cathedrals and basilicas, which themselves are already highly symbolic spaces, simultaneously gesturing toward the metaphors of cross and ship, as the main arm of the cross was called the "nave." Drop a Labyrinth on the floor of these churches and a ritual is born, a path for a ritual, not far removed from the notion of the dance labyrinth in Ancient times. However, these labyrinths do not tell a Minoan mystery but a Paschal one.. |
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| − | Mazes also have a tendency to turn up in Christian houses of worship, specifically in Italy and France. The earliest labyrinth shows up in the Basilica of Saint Reparata (Algiers) in 324 CE and they continue to be included through today. | + | The earliest labyrinth shows up in the Basilica of Saint Reparata (Algiers) in 324 CE and they continue to be included through today. Arguably the most famous and largest (approx. 12.3 m) church labyrinth appears in Chartres, and its dimensions have a curious relationship to its symbology. (Kern 153) |
| − | These mazes tended to be labyrinths, meant to be walked or crawled on the path to penance. They did not contain dead ends or choice points, until the 15th century, when the aberration appeared as Helmut Birkhan explains, as a "symptom of the secularization of the labyrinth idea" (quoted in Kern 146). The entrances of these labyrinths tended to face the western wall of the church on which scenes of The Last Judgment would be depicted. Thus, these walkable pathways become linked with the idea of the path to Christian salvation. | + | These mazes tended to be labyrinths, meant to be walked or crawled on the path to penance. They did not contain dead ends or choice points, until the 15th century, when the aberration appeared as Helmut Birkhan explains, as a "symptom of the secularization of the labyrinth idea" (quoted in Kern 146). The entrances of these labyrinths tended to face the western wall of the church on which scenes of The Last Judgment would be depicted. These mazes went by several names: Labyrinth of Sin, The Path to Redemption, Easter Dance, Images of a Worldview, The Path to Jerusalem, Maison Dedalus. Thus, these walkable pathways become linked with the idea of the path to Christian salvation. |
| − | These mazes went by several names: Labyrinth of Sin, The Path to Redemption, Easter Dance, Images of a Worldview, The Path to Jerusalem, Maison Dedalus. | + | The practice of walking the labyrinth as a spiritual, meditative journey continues today. Certainly, the use of the labyrinth in religious rites taps into that same notion of the mystery of the twisted path. Similar structures will appear in turf in other parts of Europe, namely England, though several of these may be more closely tied to pagan rites of spring. Though the days of structural comparisons of myths across culture may have passed with the era of ''The Golden Bough'', the use of mazes in Christian and pagan rituals suggest its role as symbolic path, one that can be made out of stone or carved into the earth. |
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| − | Arguably the most famous and largest (approx. 12.3 m) church labyrinth appears in Chartres, and its dimensions have a curious relationship to its symbology. (Kern 153) | ||
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| − | Note: Maze as path to be followed as haptic prayer ritual, as allegorical path. | ||
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===Mazes of Grass, Hedge, and Stone=== | ===Mazes of Grass, Hedge, and Stone=== | ||
