Temple building and Early Christian Church Design

The basis of temple construction was to incorporate the sacred combination of the square and circle, also known as the yin and yang concept. The square, as we have learned, symbolizes the earth and the circle represents heaven.

               An Armenian church in the quincunx design, seventh century

                                                      

                              QUINCUNX USED AS SACRED GEOMETRY IN ART

The quincunx incorporated the square, the circle, the right angle triangle, the math of the gnomon and the Lo Shu thereby creating a most powerful cosmo-magical pattern that was used as the ground plan design of early Byzantine churches. 

                          Church drawing - Leonardo da Vinci,  fifteenth century

Leonardo da Vinci was a student of Lucas Pacioli and was a mathematician as well as a great artist.  Leonardo was fascinated with incorporating sacred geometry: the square, circle, and right angle triangle into architecutral design and produced many drawings with these concepts in mind.  Above is an example of Leonardo da Vinci using the quincunx sacred geometry into church design. 



quincunx design with ya shape          magic square with cross of odd numbers 

 

Humankind strives to seek a balance with heaven and earth and the early Chinese used this model to incorporate these concepts in the most revered places of worship and political importance. 

The earth represents the center of all things.  The philosophical importance of the ever changing heavens is the impact it has on the daily events on the physical earth and how this affects the evolution and prosperity of man.  The temple serves as a point of reference of this centrality and is meant to mark the center of the universe as it represents the convergence of the four corners of the earth. 

                 Antonio Canaletto Scala dei Giganti, 1765

  

Detail of painting demonstrates the quincunx pattern used in early Byzantine church design.

Antonio Canaletto was a prominent Italian painter during the 18^th century whose paintings documented important architecture as well as political and societal gatherings of the times.  Canaletto incorporates the quincunx pattern in this painting and has also used the Ya shape in Campo di Rialto.  If Canaletto is documenting what he observes then symbols such as the Ya and the quincunx were used in places of political and religious importance in Italy just as in China several thousand years ago. 

The Ya - A Chinese  Math Symbol

The Ya character is a MATH symbol as the symbol refers to the cross of odd numbers in the Luo Shu, in other words the Ya symbolized the Heaven portion of the Luo Shu.  All Magic Squares in the Luo Shu format have a cross (or cruciform) of odd numbers that occupy the veritical and horizontal axis, with the center number representing the axis mundi of the square.  In addition, all Magic Squares feature a Pythagorean triplet of numbers which occupy the same relative position, regardless of the order the Magic Square.  Finally, the 27x27 Magic Square features the numbers of the calendar as well as 365 as the axis mundi.

For these reasons, the Lo Shu  is a model of Time and Space, Heaven and earth and is a cosmo-magical symbol that represents the Universe in Micorcosm.

Therefore, the ya - shape is a symbol that corresponds to the cosmo-magical Lo Shu.  Retention Magic Squares are another example of the interesting role of the cruciform shape.  These are squares that demonstrate an arrangement of numbers such that a border of higher numbers surrounds smaller numbers, forming a "lake" of numbers.  This is best demonstrated in the "Outside Contributions" section.

The ya - shape is connected to the number 365 of a particular 7x7 magic square.  In the "Outside Conttributions" Section, one will see the retention 7x7 Magic Square that features the number 365 and a central symmetrical "lake of numbers" in the Ya shape.  The other numbers of significance, 714 and 349, can be found next to each other in the 27x27 Magic Square, in the column with 13 (the seventh odd number), and two cells up. 

[Research into this field has just begun.  Theorem:  There exists a Retention Magic Square for any order of Odd Magic Square that has at its center a cruciform shape of water retention numbers, and various Retention Magic Squares of this type may share common characteristics.   The 7x7 Retention MS with 365 as the reteained water value seems to be linked to the 27x27 Luo Shu Magic Square and has an interesting number pattern that warrants further research into this exciting field.  The algorithm is avaliable upon request, click on contact to participate.]

The ya shape can also be synonymous with the jingtianzhi, that is, a central square surrounded by eight other squares, which also creates the four quadrants.  This is the sacred pattern of nine and also can be representative of the Luo Shu; the jingtianzhi has been associated with temple design (Ming Tang) as well as agriculture where it was referred to as the “Holy Field”.  

 

                                                                     MING TANG TEMPLE 

 

The sacred pattern of nine is also the basis of the mandala (Camann, Schinz) and can be found on book covers of illuminated manuscripts (see below!);  the upper cover of the Lindau Gospels is a beautiful example of this concept.

The Chinese vision of cosmology was represented by this pattern (the ya shape, the jingtienzhi, and the Luo Shu) and was incorporated into city planning, temples, agriculture, bronze mirrors of the Han dynasty, and the Jade bi disc. 

The ya shape was also used in the royal tombs of the Shang kings excavated at Hougang. The mausoleum was known as the “king’s cosmic temple” with the king at the center of the four cardinal directions, known as the cosmic center of  the world.  The spirits of the four cardinal points would protect the four quadrates with the “priest-king” in the center. This concept was used in city planning as well as temple building and was meant to represent the cosmic center of the universe or axis mundi.

The tomb of the supreme being, the emperor, would also serve as a holy place of ceremonial magic and would have all the symbols, vessels, offerings, and magical tools to create the perfect resting place. Symbols of establishing order, divination, and “the all knowing” can be found with the symbol for the carpenter’s square as it represents the math of the gnomon.  Applying the math of the gnomon would allow one to interpret the movement of the seven planetary spheres and the major constellations, essential knowledge for calendar making and administering of the seasons.

The gammadia and the Chinese symbol for gong – which can also mean carpenter’s square, and bu which means to divine, prognosticate, or interpret appear on the garments of the apostles and the highly initiated in the Ravenna mosaics.  The ya-shape, the Luo-Shu or pattern of nine – also referred to as the jingtienzhi, are also symbols to impart the most ideal yin yang balance.   These revered symbols of importance to the early Chinese were also used in early Christian art and architecture in places of religious importance.

THEODORIC'S MAUSOLEUM

                

Theodoric's Mausoleum

An Example of Early Christian Art Incorporating Chinese Iconography:
The Carpenter's Square and the Ya Shape

The early Byzantium Mausoleum of  Theodoric  in Ravenna is another clear example of early Christianity incorporating significant Chinese iconography into traditional usage such as tombs for the kings and emperors as well as church architecture.   

Theodoric was a Gothic King (493-526) and controlled Ravenna, which from 404 to 482 was the western capital of the Roman empire and became the cultural center for the west.   Some of the greatest examples of early Byzantine art and architecture can be found in Ravenna, which was known for its progressive artisan workshops and receptiveness to oriental influence (chapter eight). 

A cruciform ya - shape eerily similar to the Shang cruciform shape used in royal tomb design is seen as the floor plan of the ground story of the mausoleum.  This is where the tomb of Theodoric lay. The second story is circular and domed, the cupola (dome) represents heaven and the hexagon shaped ground level represents the earth.  The second level also housed a chapel.  

This architecture combines the circle, crucifom, right angle, and hexagon; a modification of a recurring theme in early Christian church design using the cross in square design. 

In addition, the exterior of the dome of the mausoleum is adorned with twelve stone right angles that resemble the carpenter’s square with the names of the twelve apostles etched onto each stone.

This is significant as the gammadia and gong symbol have been used several dozens of times in early Christian art.  The famous mosaics of Ravenna offer the best examples of the use of these symbols of Chinese influence.  

The gammadia and gong symbolize the math of the gnomon, the calendar, the Pythagorean Theorem, the four cardinal directions, winter and summer soltice, the four seasons, Heaven and Earth, yin and yang, male and female, and on.    

The gammadia or gong symbol were meant to identify a higher initiate or apostle, sometimes also seen holding a sacred book or illuminated manuscript in the mosaics of Ravenna.

The use of the ya – shape or cruciform in royal tomb designs of the Shang dynasty occurred over sixteen hundred years prior to the construction of the Mausoleum of Thedoric. 

This page is dedicated to Josef Strzygowski