Notre-Dame de Chartres: A Cosmological Reading
Sacred imagery
within a church is meant to serve as the bible for the illiterate, illustrating
not only religious iconography, but the Medieval cosmological opinion. These
depictions were universally understood in both the scholarly and non-academic
communities. This analysis is a cosmological discussion on the characteristics
of the Notre-Dame de Chartres West Rose window and Labyrinth, allowing for both a cultural
and scientific explanation of each feature.
The West rose
window depicts the second coming of Christ, with Christ the judge sitting in
the centre of a quatrefoil or cross with His five bleeding wounds. Christ is
encircled by three rings of twelve. Each of the encircling rings build
upon the story of the second coming. The inner ring, in what Chartres historian
Malcolm Miller calls the ‘tips’ of the elliptical forms, depicts ‘eight angels
placed in pairs between the four apocalyptic animals, representing the four
evangelists,’ conveniently placed in the four cardinal directions.[1]
The larger circles within the ellipses are Christ’s twelve apostles who are helping
Christ judge of the twelve tribes.[2]
The outer most ring consist of several illustrations, including angels carrying
the instruments of Christ’s Passion, angels blowing trumpets to announce
Judgement Day, and six scenes of resurrected souls waiting to be judged.[3]
The numerological qualities of the window enhance the iconographic
illustrations put in place by the Chartres artists. The numbers in the pattern
have adopted Christian meaning through the religious imagery displayed in each
of the ‘petals’ of the rose, but cosmological interpretation must also be
deliberated, especially when considering the numbers twelve and five. The
numbers twelve and five are used to allude to the twelve apostles and Christ’s
five wounds. The number twelve is representative of the months of the year,
measured in astrological observations. Five is relatable to Aristotle’s five
elements, including the impermeable aether.
Considering the wounds of Christ and the elements as one in same is rather
intriguing, perhaps making Christ the human representation of the world with a
range of features (or elements) making Him a vision of perfection and balance.
Of the geometric
forms, one of the most domineering shapes of the rose window is the star. This
is vital because it is physical evidence of shared cosmological depiction
between East and West, as the star is a common shape at locations like Dome of the Rock.[4]
The pentacle is a commonly used star figure,
representing ‘the Pythagorean symbol of healing, the Crucifixion, and Man, as
drawn by Leonardo da Vinci.’[6] Regardless of the number of points on
the star, the star is used a symbol of guidance in rose window design.[7] The star represents a beacon of light
in the night sky, as was the case in the journey of the Magi in the story of
Christ’s birth. The guidance of the stars was also essential in navigation in
these early eras, thus representing the guiding of the heavens through stormy
seas. The West rose window is conveniently placed over the floor labyrinth. The
light from the star of the window may also be intended to light the visitor’s
way through the labyrinth, which represents the journey of life.
The labyrinth, like the window, also allows
for multiple interpretations. The interpretation of the journey of life is the
most prominent of the options, embracing the Christian journey to salvation.
This idea is supported by the title of the pattern, called ‘la lieue’ or the
‘league,’ alluding to the length of the path.[5]
The designation ‘the league’ allows for further cosmological meaning, referring
to the path or orbit of a planet. Being that the labyrinth takes more of an
elliptical shape verses a circular also hints to the idea of the actual
elliptical travel of the planets.[6]
This quality makes the labyrinth more
cosmological although it maintains its Christian elucidations.[7]
The Chartres pattern represents the vernal equinox that predicts the date of
Easter.[8]
In celebration of the resurrection, early Christians would dance around the
pattern.[9]
They believed that Christ, before returning to earth, journeyed through the labyrinth
to purgatory and hell.[10]
Easter, calculated through astronomical events, again binds together the
studies of science and religion. Additional scientific meaning is ascribed to
the pattern when connecting the use of circles to Pythagorean teachings on the
harmony of cosmological spheres.[11]
The Notre-Dame
de Chartres’ rose windows and labyrinth represent the French dedication to
Christianity and the journey to finding salvation. Their path was lit by the
West rose window, featuring Christ as judge. Each visitor is watched as they
face the twists and turns of the labyrinth that lies just beyond the gaze of
Christ. The religious interpretation of these architectural features is
complimented with the cosmological ideals of the era, tying together the
natural occurrences of the earth to the power of God. The intertwining of
religion and science allowed for a harmonious rule of the church and
continuation of scientific inquiry in the thirteenth century. The great piety
of the time perhaps overshadows any cosmological intent in the design, but what should be questioned is whether or not it was possible that the common man made scientific inferences upon his visit to
the church. If these architectural features are the books of the illiterate,
what exactly was the medieval man reading in his viewing of the rose window and
labyrinth? As a 21st century viewer, I am open to both religious and
scientific intentions, but what was envisioned by the Chartres artists and what
was viewed by medieval visitors remains in question.
[1] Miller,
92.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
Image: West Rose Window,
2012, Chartres Cathedral, World Heritage, accessed July 26, 2012,
http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org.
[4] Oleg Grabar, The Dome of the Rock (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of
Harvard University Press, 2006), pg. 76. Image: Creswell’s Dome of the Rock
floor plan. West Rose Window picture provided by: West Rose Window, 2012, Chartres
Cathedral, World Heritage, accessed July 26, 2012, http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org.
Geometric pattern added by the author. Do note that the geometric forms of the
Chartres image are not fully accurate due to the angle of the photograph.
[5] Hermann Kern, Through the Labyrinth: Designs and Meanings over 5.000 Years (New York: Prestel, 2000), pg. 153.
[6] This idea
was suggested in the Classical Greek era, but not confirmed until the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries by Brahe and Kepler. See Aughton, 85.
[7] Kern,
110.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid. See
also Kern, 146.
[11] Ibid.
Images: Left, Chartres Labyrinth, 2012, Chartres Cathedral, World Heritage,
Chartres, http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org/.
Right: Kern,
