Idea Transcript
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EDUCATIONAL LODGE No. 1002, A.F. & A.M . Bulletin No. 112
April, 1992
St. Paul, Minnesota ARCHITECTURE IN FREEMASONRY Gerald E. Rhoads Senior Steward, Educational Lodge No. 1002
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It has been an hooor and a privilege for me to conduct many newly admitted Fellow Crafts into the middle chamber. Learning the lectUre of the second degree provided an educational and enlightening experience for me, and it has always been delightful to watch the various reactions of the candidates as they are in· traduced to the voluminous material that is presented. The Staircase U.cture (more appropriately called the Middle Chamber of Senior Deacons UC!Ure) opens many new and exciting avenues for a Brother who is interested in fully exploring the hidden mysteries of Masonry.
this writing is to attempt to instill that understanding in others so that they too can delight in the "Staircase Lecture" as much as I do. It is that understanding of architecture that will begin to reveal the hidden "mysteries of Masonry".
Our ancient brethren served many years as bearers of burdens during their apprenticeships. When their apprenticeship had been served, if deemed worthy, they were chosen to be "passed" to the degree of a Fellow Craft. As apprentices their responsibilities were simple and required little formal instruction or explanation. However, when passed to the degree of a Fellow Craft, their duties and obligations became more extensive and it was then necessary that the lodge begin to educate them more extensively. Hence, the lecture that accompanied their passage into the middle chamber became their fllSt exposure to the terminology of architecture, the explanation of the five senses of human nature, and the seven liberal arts and sciences.
"From the first formation of society, order in architecture may be traced. When the rigor of seasons obliged men to contrive shelter from the inclemency of the weather, we learn that they first planted trees on end, and then laid others across, to support a covering. The bands which coMected those trees at the top and bottom. are said to have given rise to the idea of the base and capital of pillars; and from this simple hint originally proceeded the more improved art of architecture." (3)
It is not difficult to imagine how overwhelmed they must have felt when first confronted with the enormity of the body of knowledge that they would be expected to assimilate. Words and ideas beyond their previous comprehension did not bring about understanding but rather confused and confounded their attempts to grasp the meaning of it all. For them this was merely the beginning - and many years of training and study would be required before all the pieces fell into appropriate order.
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I have seen that confounded and confused look on the face of more than one Brother. The Middle Chamber lecture begins with explanations that they are eager to receive and their pleasure when listening to the lecture is easily detected. However. when I get to the point of relating to them that ''the frieze is distinguished by the triglyphs and metopes, and triglyphs compose the ornaments of the frieze", (I) I begin to see that look on their faces that tells me they arc now on unknown ground. And as the lecture proceeds through the explanation of the five orders of architecture. their bewilderment at the unknown terminology increases. Many of the descriptive terms that appear in the lecture are not in the dictionary or the encyclopedia. As impressive as this lecture is, it must surely leave some brethren wondering what they have heard and how they will ever be able to comprehend it all. My curiosity got the best of me and I began to search for the explanation of the lerms that caused the perplexed expressions on the faces of the brethren. It was difficult for me to deliver the lecture without knowing what the words meant. The dictionary and encyclopedia provided some background. But for most of the terms I had to consult references dealing with classical architecture. Once I was able to form mental pictures of the various architectural features that are so wonderfully interwoven in the lecture, it became a joy co introduce this wonderful body of knowledge to others. And the purpose of
"By order in architecture, is meant a system of all the members, proportions and ornaments of columns. and pilasters; or it is a regular arrangement of the projecting pans of a building, which, united with those of a column, form a beautiful, perfect, and complete whole." (2)
Hence the order of architecblre arose as identifJable systems which could be associated with the unique columns or pilasters. A Concise Glossary of Architectural Terms, by John Henry Parker. defines a column as ''a round pHlar; the tenn includes the base, shaft, and capital. The column is so important a feature that the exact proportions of its several parts are settled, and vary according to the Order.'' (4) A pilaster is a square column or pillar. It inay stand alone as a support, but is more commonly attached to a wall as an intermediate support between columns. It projects outward from the wall by a third, fourth, fifth, or sixth ofits breadth. The base is the lower part of the column on which the shaft is placed and the capital, or cap, is the head or upper limit of the column.
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Each of the five orders of classical architecture has its own distinctive capital and each varies from the others and can be readily indentified. Although their individual characteristics can be easily distinguished. there is considerable variation within the orders. This can be seen in the difference between the Cor-
inthian capitals at the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli and of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates at Athens. ·There are also a few capitals totally unlike any of the five orders. such as those seen at the Temple of the Winds at Athens. (5)
THE FIVE ORDERS OF ARCJIITECTURE
Twcan
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Corinlllian
CoJnposiJl
There are tive classical orders of architecture and each has its own distinctive description of its components. Each includes a base. shaft, and capital, with its entablature. The base, shaft, and capital have already been mentioned. The entablature is "the superstructure which lies horizontally upon the columns .. (6) ... (and) it is divided into architrave, fricze,and cornice. These terms are encountered often in the lecture and each order's entablature has its own unique architrave, frieze, and cornice. The architrave is the pan immediately above the column, and it rests upon the abacus, which is the uppermost pan of the capital and is usually in the form of a square tile or plate. The frieze is the middle division of the entablature and lies between the architrave and the
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The Entablature
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The frieze continues along the top of the wall from column to column. ''ln the Tuscan order it is always p1ain: in the Doric it has slight projections at intervals, on which are cut three
angular flutes, called triglyphs; the intervals between these
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Triglyphs
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are called metopes. and are frequently enriched with sCulpture. In the Corinthian and Composite it is ornamented in a variety of ways. but usually either with figures or foliage. The cornice is ''the horizontal moulded projection encircling the roof of a building, or the component parts of a building, and generally beneath the eaves of the roor·. (8)
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The five classical orders of architecture are the Tuscan, Doric. Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. As mentioned earlier, each has its own peculiar base, shaft, and capital, with its entablature. Each is also described as being a system of the members, proportions. and ornaments of its column. 1be basic measure which determines the proportions of aJI the other components is the diameter of the column. The height of the column, and the size of each of the other components is determined as a function of that diameter. Hence, the symmetry and organization is maintained throughout a structure and it is through the application of the principles of geometry that the architect is able to main· lain this dimensional relationship. Therefore, if the Tuscan col· urnn (which is seven diameters high), is three feet in diameter, it will be 2 I feet high. The Doric column (which is eight diameters high) of similar diameter will be 24 feet in height. The Ionic (nine diameters high) .will be 27 feet in height. And the Corinthian and Composite at ten diameters high will be 30 feet in height. The various elements of the capital and entablature will be in proportion according to the diameter of the column. This is said to be in imitation of the Divine plan for symmetry and order in the universe. "The Tuscan is the most simple and solid of the five orders. It was invented in Tuscany whence it derived its name. Its column is seven diameters high; and its capital, base and entablature have but few mouldings. •• (9) Because of its simplicity it is the most easily constructed and is therefore useful in sttuctures where ornamentation would be superfluous.
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The most ancient of the orders is actually the Doric, which was invented by the Greeks. It is plain and natural in appearance and is the best proponioncd of the orders. As mentioned earlier, its column is eight diameters high. The base and capital of the column are seldom ornamented. The frieze, however, display the triglyphs and metopes mentioned earlier. Because of its strength and solid structure. this order is normally used in structures where a "noble simplicity is chiefly required". ( 10) When first conceived, the Doric was much more plain and simple than we now see it. At a later date it began to be constructed with more ornamentation and the lriglyphs and metopes were added to the frieze. Although the Doric is the most ancient of the orders, it is listed second on the list of classical orders because it is not now constructed in its original form. The Tuscan is listed first because of its resemblance to the original appearance of the Doric. The Ionic order makes smooth the transition from the strength and simplicity of the Tuscan and Doric orders to the delicacy and ornamentation of the Corinthian and Composite. Its column is nine diameters high. In this order we see the addition of volutes to the capital and dentils to the cornice. Although the volute (Latin volutus, meaning turned) is also seen in the Corinthian and Composite orders. it is the principle identifying characteristic of the Ionic_. It i.s defined as ••a spiral scroll ... ••
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(II) Dentils (Latin denticulus, meaning little tooth) are
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Dentils
.. ornaments resembling teeth, used in the mouldings of the Ionic, Corinthian. and Composite. •• ( 12) Observation of the illustration of these two features makes them easily identifiable and they can be seen on many of the buildings in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area.
eventually met the abacus and could go no further upward. With their upward progress impeded, they turned downward. Callimachus was so struck with the appearance of the basket with its enveloping acanthus branches and tile that he was inspired to design the capital of the Corinthian column. The capital resembles the basket, the abacus, the tile, and the volutes the bending of the branches of the acanthus. The Composite order is a combination of the other orders and was originally erected by the Romans. Its column, like that of the Corinthian, is also ten diameters high. In it can be seen the two rows of leaves which are so distinctive of the Corinthian and the volutes which are the principle identifying characteristic of the Ionic. Again, the cornice is marked with dentils and modillions and the columns may have the quarter round of the Tuscan and Doric orders. And like the Corinthian · it is generally found in the most stately and superb of edifices .
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The invention of the Ionic order is credited to the lonians. The world famous Temple of Diana at Ephesus is a prime example of the Ionic order. According to an ancient legend, the inspiration for the Ionic order was a beautiful young woman of an elegant shape; as opposed to the inspiration for the Tuscan and Doric orders. which was a strong robust man.
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The Corinthian order is the most richly ornamented and is viewed by many to be an artistic masterpiece. Its column is ten diameters in height. Because of its magnificent and majestic appearance it is generally used in the most stately and impressive of structures. The capital is decorated with two rows of leaves and eight volutes which provide the support for the abacus. Its frieze is richly decorated with sculptures of foliage, figures of
The Corinthian Order
humans or animals, and other decorative devices and designs. The cornice displays dentils (which have been previously explained) and modillions. Madill ions are ''projecting brackets under the corona of the Corinthian and Composite". (13) I
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Modi Ilion The capita' of the column of the Corinthian order resembles a basket and its invention is attributed to a citizen of Corinth named Callimachus. As he passed by the tomb of a young girl he observed a basket of toys that had been left at the tomb by the young girl's nurse. The basket had been placed on an acanthus root and was covered with a piece of tile. As the branches of the acanthus root grew upward around the basket they
Composite Order Reverence is usually reserved by Masons for the three Greek orders - which are the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. These three orders alone are distinctive and unique in their character and first impression. The two others were contrivances of the Romans and relied up:>n the Greek orders for their inspiration. The Tuscan was lint erected by the Romans as a simplified Doric column or as an imitation of the Doric order in its simple and original form. The Composite is a combination of the most distinctive features of the Corinthian and Ionic columns - namely the two rows of leaves which are from the Corinthian and the volutes which so easily identify the Ionic. We arc therefore in· debted to the Greeks, and not the Romans, for what we sec as being truly original and great and lasting in architecture. Through the many centuries which have passed since these classical orders first appeared. many other styles of architecture have come into common use. Romanesque, Nonnan, Gothic, Italian Doric, Byzantine, Arabesque, Tudor, Saxon, and Renaissance are but a few of the derivations. But it remains the exclusive province of the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite to be referred to as the classical orders of architecture. from them all other variations have evolved. Their beautiful symmetry and proportional relationships fonn the backbone of structural design and remain even today as the basic principles by which the architect creates his designs. It was beautiful symmetry and the proportional relationships of narure that first made men ''imitate the Divine plan, and study symmetry and order. This gave rise to the societies, and binh to every useful art. The architect began to design, and the plans which he laid down, being improved by experience and time, have produced works which are the admiration of every age.'' (14) Two of the most ancient references to architecture are contained in the Bible in the books of 1 Kings and II Chronicles. In these passages are related the incredible construction of Solomon's Temple. For this monumental undertaking Solomon assembled three Grand Masters, three thousand three hundred masters or overseers of the work, eighty thousand fellow craft in the mountains and in the quarries, and seventy thousand bearers of burdens. Because of the complexity
of supervising such an enormous work force, Solomon organized the craftsmen into lodges composed of masters, fellow crafts, and apprentices. Thus developed not only the basic organization of our fraternity but also the means of passing the secrets of geometry and architecture from generation to generation through the ages. Architecture continued to be the foundation of the Masonic order through the ages and through and behond the appearance of the five classical orders. In their book, The Temple and the Lodge, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh relate how ''toward the end of the first cenrury BC the Roman architect Vitruvius had enunciated what were to become some of the most basic premises for later builders ... The architect, he said, should be a skilled draftsman, a malhemalician, familiar with historical studies, a diligent student of philosophy. acquainted with music, familiar with astrology. For Vitruvius, in effect, the architect was a species of magus·, conversant with the sum of human knowledge and privy to !he creations underlying laws. Paramount a."Dong these laws was geometry, on which the architect was obliged to draw in order to construct temples by !he help of proportion and symmetry." (IS) "And thus the building of the Temple came to assume supreme imponance for the stonemasons of !he Middle Ages. H~re God had actually taught the practical application of geometry through architecture. And his chief pupil, Hiram of Tyre, was therefore adopted as the model to which every true master builder must aspire. (16)
The principles which are so richly illustrated in the five classical orders of architecture are also the foundation of our beloved fraternity. Architecture and geometry (once synonymous terms) are at the very root of Freemasonry. Architecture was the original reason for our existence and even now provides the bond which unites us all. From the working tools of operative masonry we derive !he speculative application of those same tools - applications with which we arc all so familiar. The history of architecture, from the building of Solomon's Temple to Vitruvius to the Middle Ages is the history of Freemasonary. The study of architecture and its principles and its interrelationships and its beautiful symmetry and proportions begins to open the door to the mysteries of Masonry to those who have not yet seen them.
FOOTNOTES I. 2. 3. 4. S. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. II. 12. 13. 14. IS. 16.
Masonic Manual of Minnesota, 1964, Page 36 IBID, Page 3S IBID. Page 3S A Concise Glossary of Architectural Terms, Page 80 IBID, Page S4 IBID, Page 113 IBID, Page 12S IBID, Page 82 Masonic Manual of Minnesota, 1964, Page 36 IBID, Page 36 A Concise Glossary of Architectural Terms, Page 319 IBID, Page 9S IBID, Page 157 Masonic Manual of Minnesota, 1964, Page 4S Tbe Temple and the Lodge, Page 186-87 IBID, Page 189
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BIBUOGRAPHY I. Masonic Manual of Minnesota, Revised Edition, 1964 2. A Concise Glossary of Architectural Terms, by John Henry Parker, 1846, Revised 1989 3. Tbe Temple and the Lodge, by Baigent and Leigh, 1989 4. The Holy Bible, Revised 1978 S. A Dictionary of Freemasonry, by Robert Macoy, 1989 6. Tbe Craft and its Symbols, by Allen Roberts, 1974 7. Tbe Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, by Albert Mackey, 1917
THE AUTHOR Gerald E. Rhoads Senior Warden, Hiram Lodge # 287 A.F. & A.M. Senior Steward, Educational Lodge # 1002 2nd Vice President, Masters and Wardens Association Monitor First Grade of !he Grand Lodge of Minnesota Member, Meander Lodge# 765 F. & A.M., North Jackson, Ohio
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OFFICERS OF EDUCATIONAL LODGE NO. 1002 • 1992 Master ................................. Marlowe WUliams Senior Warden ....................... James L. Osborne, Jr. Junior Warden .................................. John Ady Secretary .................................. Robert Johnson Senior Deacon ............................. Inari Paaskynen Junior Deacon . ............................ Donald Holberg Senior Steward ........................... Gerald E. Rhoads Junior Steward . ............................... Terry Tilton Marshall ..................... ' ............ Clyde E. White
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