Christendom’s Labyrinths and Mazes

Of the many remarkable labyrinths in Christendom’s religious buildings, one of the smallest must be the 15th-century circular carved wooden ornamentation high in the roof of St. Mary Redcliffe, a church in Bristol, England. Painted in gold and black, it has a diameter of only eight inches [20 cm]. The most famous labyrinth is in France’s Chartres Cathedral. Constructed in the year 1235, of blue and white stone, it is 40 feet [10 m] in diameter.

Large floor mazes were laid in other medieval French and Italian cathedrals and churches, including those at Amiens, Bayeux, Orléans, Ravenna, and Toulouse. The one at Reims was destroyed 200 years ago, and the Mirepoix Cathedral’s maze features a central Minotaur.

Regarding the incorporation of labyrinths into prominent religious buildings, one authority writes: “The pagan labyrinth was adopted by the medieval Christian church and adapted for its own use by including Christian symbolism in the design.” Thus, labyrinths were apparently used in Christendom’s churches to represent a Christian’s life, in keeping with the mythology established by the ancient Egyptians.

Church mazes were also used to enact journeys made by the crusaders to Jerusalem. Reaching the center symbolized reaching Jerusalem and attaining salvation. For some worshipers a maze was a penitential circuit either to be completed upon the knees to gain forgiveness of sins or to be ritualistically walked as a substitute for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Turf Mazes

Labyrinths that were cut into the soil, known as turf mazes, were constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries, especially in England. Later many were undoubtedly used for recreational purposes, but since they resembled the labyrinths in church buildings, some people also attached a religious significance to them. The largest turf maze in the world, thought by some authorities to be over 800 years old, is on the common in Saffron Walden, in the county of Essex. It is unusual in that it has four large, raised corner bastions. The length of its pathway is almost a mile [2 km].

W. H. Matthews ties in the historical/mythical aspect, noting that religious mazes or labyrinths “may be taken as emblematical of the temptation-labyrinth of this worldly life, which can only be safely traversed by means of the Ariadne thread of divine grace.”—Mazes and Labyrinths—Their History and Development.

Are you surprised that mazes and labyrinths, although of pagan origin, are fixtures in Christendom? Can true Christianity be compatible with pagan superstition?

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Mazes for Amusement

Six hundred years ago, a new type of maze was created. It had no religious significance but was designed for ornamentation. Throughout England simple garden mazes soon became a common feature. Eventually the mazes were created with more intricate designs, and their paths came to be lined with boxwood, which could be neatly trimmed.

In recent years many modern, intricate maze designs have appeared throughout the world. Children and adults alike love them. They can be fun!

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The world’s largest turf maze, in Saffron Walden, England

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Courtesy Saffron Walden Tourist Office