This pamphlet gives an historical background to Labyrinths..
Other pamphlets cover How We Developed Our Labyrinth and Guidelines For Walking The Labyrinth.

An Historical Background To Labyrinths

Labyrinths have a fascinating history which spans centuries, but their origins are lost in time. Found in different shapes and forms, and many cultures and countries worldwide, their significance and usage has varied greatly. For instance, they have been
-- used in courtship rituals
-- walked prior to going to sea to help obtain a good catch
-- used as a method for trying to ensure fertility
-- provided a focus for community festivities
-- used as a means of protection and warding off evil
-- adapted for garden design

The words 'maze' and 'labyrinth' are often used interchangeably in the literature, but a simple working definition is as follows:
A maze is multicursal - it has many paths and is used as a puzzle or game. There are choices to be make at junctions, some paths lead to dead ends and they may be constructed from hedges or other materials which obstruct the view of the central goal.
A labyrinth is unicursal- it has one path reading from the entrance into the centre and out again.

The classical design was adapted by the Romans for use mainly in mosaic floors for decorative purposes. Examples have been found throughout the known Roman Empire, and most seem to date from around 100 BC to 400 AD.

Labyrinths are found within the mythology of many ancient cultures. The best known is probably the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. This creature, half man and half bull, was imprisoned at the centre of a labyrinth designed for King Minos of Crete by Daedalus, a master inventor of great renown. Having lost a war to Crete, King Aegeus in Athens was compelled to send seven young men and women every nine years as sacrificial food for the Minotaur. This fate fell to King Aegeus's son, Theseus, who determined to kill the creature and escape. He was helped by King Minos's daughter, Ariadne, who provided him with a golden thread by which he retraced his steps after choking the beast with a ball of pitch. (Full treatment of this legend can be found in Reed Doob p.ll - 13 and Matthews p. 17- 20).

Mainly found in Britain, the early turf labyrinths were probably used to celebrate festivals or in courtship rituals. Later these were adopted by the Church, their original purpose being replaced with processions and rituals theologically acceptable at the time.

The earliest Christian labyrinth is probably the one found in the 4th century basilica of Repartus at Orleansville in Algeria. It is set in a pavement near the church entrance, and is about 8 feet wide. The words SANCTA EClESIA in the centre distinguish it from the Roman pavement mazes, which it otherwise resembles in form. (Matthews p. 54).

The Medieval Christian labyrinth was adapted from the classical design and has eleven concentric paths rather than seven. The path meanders freely from one quadrant to another and the form is either circular (e.g. Chartres cathedral) or octagonal (e.g. Amiens). The Vatican holds a document dated 860-2 AD which features a prototype of this emerging design. (Fisher and Gerster p.35) These labyrinths were mainly developed in the great European Gothic cathedrals (particularly in France) during the time of the Crusades, when pilgrimages to the Holy land were ill advised. The Church designated certain sites to be the end point of a pilgrimage which in safer times would have been made to the Holy City of Jerusalem. Hence they were commonly called the 'New Jerusalem' or 'the road to Jerusalem'. They represented mankind's convoluted journey towards God, and the centre symbolised salvation, as well as Jerusalem itself. It is said that some pilgrims completed the labyrinth on their knees as an act of penitence and to gain forgiveness. "This symbolism was taken so seriously that, according to the beliefs of the time, the same grace and indulgences could be obtained from the labyrinth as from the pilgrimage itself'. (Gimpel, page 5)

Chartres Cathedral is of particular significance today because the intact labyrinth is a geometrical lynch pin within one of the masterpieces of Gothic cathedral design. In the early 13th century, the cathedral was undergoing one of several reconstructions. People believed that in building the cathedrals they were constructing a slice of eternity itself, the most Divine thing on earth in honour of God. 'Sacred geometry', defined as "the study and application of the unfolding of number in space" (lundy, frontispiece), was fundamental to the design.

The master builders were instructed carefully by the senior church authorities, who gave them specific details of the special numbers and symbolism on which they were to base their design. The significance attached to particular numbers is drawn from many models and sources, for example, Ancient Greek thought and St Augustine's reflections on the divine order of creation.