The Wise Master Builder : Platonic Geometry in Plans of Medieval Abbeys and Cathedrals

According to the grace . . . given unto me as a wise master builder . . . I have laid the foundation. And another buildeth on it . . . . Clement, Stromateis V.4, paraphrasing I Corinthians 3.10 Contents Preface ix List of figures and plates xi x THE WISE MASTER BUILDER Manuscript paintings depicting the act of creation were already common by the thirteenth century and show the divine Creator as the architect of the universe, wielding his dividers to bring about order from chaos through the application of mathematical laws. By this time, architects were becoming identifiable from ordinary masons and other tradesmen and their names begin to survive. This is the result of them quite literally inscribing their buildings. Yet of all the locations used for displaying their names, many chose the pavement and the plinth. At Reims Cathedral, Jean of Orbais, Jean-le-Loup, Gaucher of Reims and Bernard of Soissons had their names incorporated in the labyrinth of its nave pavement, whilst the name of Jean of Chelles is inscribed across the plinth of the south transept of Notre Dame in Paris and those of Robert of Luzarches, Thomas of Cormont and his son Regnault appear on the pavement labyrinth at Amiens Cathedral. Since other locations would have been just as visible to the public, had mere self-publicity been their aim, it is as if special importance were being attached to signing the groundwork of their own creations. Danger is ever-present, of course, in confusing interpretation with intention. Yet this picture of the wise master builder was a result, not the starting-point, of an investigation into the design of early medieval abbeys and cathedrals which eventually became a doctoral thesis. In essence, the question this posed was, as far as the middle ages were concerned, did Wisdom ever frame the temple? If so, how and what form might this have taken? It is a description of this investigation and its conclusions, many of them surprising, that are the subject of this book. ## List of Figures and Plates Figures in text 1 a, b: Quadrature and 4-2, c: Doubling a square, after Plato and Vitruvius, d: Quadrature, after Villard, e: Cloister plan, after Villard. 9 2 The side and half-diagonal of a square in Amiens Cathedral, Murray and Addiss 64 fig. 24; approximations to 4-3; the construction of an octagon from a square. 3 The elements, the Platonic figures and their figurate numbers. 4 Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Preface List of figures and plates Acknowledgements Part One: Introduction Existing theories Conclusions Scope and terms of reference Part Two: The historical context 1 The tenth century The Ottonian revival The revival in monasticism The revival in learning 2 Classical and early Christian sources Pythagoras and Plato The Greek Fathers The Latin encyclopedists Augustine Proclus and Dionysius Boethius and Cassiodorus 3 Metaphysical belief and architectural metaphor Veiling the truth Philosophy and the liberal arts Number and proportion Geometry, architecture and symbolism The Octagonal Shrine Conclusion 4 'The white mantle of churches' Summary 'Measure, number and weight' Geometric expressionism Architecture and the monastic revival 5 Medieval architectural practice Part Three: The geometric investigation 6 Application of geometry to plans Selection of sample Early German St Peter, Rome Early French Early Norman Anglo-Norman Pilgrim Churches French Gothic 7 Comparative analysis 8 Counter examples Part Four: Conclusions 9 Findings, conclusions and implementation Summary of findings Main conclusions Translation to site Case study: St Michael, Hildesheim 10 Inferences and implications The question of proof Possible sources Continuing history of geometric design Appendices 1 The geometric investigation: measurement and accuracy 2 The geometric investigation: criteria for evaluation 3 Dimensions for St Michael, Hildesheim 4 Dimensions for St Peter's Old Basilica, Rome Bibliography Index Did the plan of medieval churches have any underlying symbolic meaning? This work re-opens the debate about the importance of geometry and symbolism in medieval architectural design and argues the case for attributing an intellectual meaning to the planning of abbeys and cathedrals. In challenging prevailing claims for the use of arithmetical rations in architectural design, notably those based on the square root of two, Dr Hiscock advances a perspective consisting of proportions derived from the figures of Platonic geometry - the square, the equilateral triangle and the pentagon - and provides evidence for the symbolic interpretation of these figures. The investigation further reveals whole series of geometric relationships between some of England's most celebrated Norman cathedrals, such as Norwich or Durham, together with a wide sample from the Continent, from Old St Peter's in Rome to Chartres Cathedral, and sets out a comprehensive design method in each case. The aim of this book is to re-open the debate about the importance of geometry and symbolism in medieval architectural design. It argues the case for attributing an intellectual meaning to the planning of major abbeys and cathedrals