The Sacred Geometry of St Mary's Church, Nantwich
FREE E-BOOK: The Sacred Geometry of St Mary's Church, Nantwich
Mathematics is a universal language, and Sacred Geometry represents that language in Holy Buildings, often relating to numbers, ratios, proportions, symmetry, and physical shapes, which are held to be sacred, to the people of the world, whatever their faith.
Much of our Mathematics came from the Middle East, and it is known as the Arabic system, although inherently it originally came from the area of India, and was based upon the ancient civilisations in that part of the world.
We came into contact with this number system, which over time replaced the outdated and difficult Roman numerical system, from contact with the Arabic world, in the south of Europe, around the edges of the Mediterranean, as well as later, during the Crusades.
Gothic Arches, which we think of as Medieval European, are in fact inherited from the Arabic and Indian World, and these arches which prevail across Gothic Europe, record the wish to build the sacred Temple of Jerusalem across the known Western World.
Historically, the circle and/or sphere, from where arches and vaults are derived, represented immortality and eternity, and therefore are symbolic of, and invoke the heavens. This is because they are made up of never-ending lines, without having a beginning or ending.
The majority of medieval churches, in their Architecture, Sacred Geometry, and Numerological significances, evoke the heavenly Jerusalem, where the saved ascend to after the Last Judgment. They are steeped in the symbolism of the visions of St John, contained in the New Testament's Book of Revelation.
Medieval Masons were the Architects of these sacred structures but were also the Builder and the Engineer of such holy buildings, and they believed they were representing the sacred world, i.e. the Heavens and the means to get there, by incorporating, essentially, the majesty of God into these divine structures, through the use of Sacred Geometry, Numerology and Mathematics. In the medieval mind, numbers and their sacred significances were derived from a wide range of sources, including specifically the Bible.
St Augustine wrote about the symbolism of numbers, and in the Middle Ages, the majority of religious patrons would have recognised the magic of numerical symbolism.
God in all His designs created things in measure, number and weight. This is perfectly expressed in the six days of Creation, and the Seventh Day, i.e. Sunday, when He rested, which we experience and recognise, every week.
We forget today, that our Medieval ancestors had a calendar split up into Saint’s days, or the days in relation to them, and holy holidays. The idea of just a date or number for a specific day would have been alien to them, and likely blasphemous to their Faith.
In a church building, God's presence through the use of Sacred Geometry means that there are infinite doorways into His world and out of His world, enabling us to speak to Him, His emissaries, and to hear Him, as well as speak to those above us and allow them to talk to us, whilst we're still below, upon this earth.
We only have to supplicate our prayers upwards in these holy buildings, hoping He, His emissaries, and our lost loved ones can hear our prayers, and us, hear His and their guidance.
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Most don’t realise the significance of a Church or similar holy place’s sacred numerology, architecture and proportion, when one steps into the door. Some still don’t really understand all of its hidden meanings and majesty, because it is such a complex subject to investigate, especially if you haven’t access to architectural drawings to investigate its sacred measurements, geometry and proportions. Some do however scratch the surface of these, from things easily seen, like Nantwich’s cruciform shape, octagonal tower, its 12 pillars to the Nave and Crossing, or even the shapes of the windows, along with their later stained glass.
In this study, however, I do hope you can delight in what I’ve found, and I hope it adds to your enjoyment of St Mary’s Church and the Faith itself.
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This free e-book comprises of a full colour booklet, with coloured annotated diagrams, artwork, drawings and photographs, in A5 size, with 76 pages, and in Adobe PDF format.
