Sacred Geometry: Symbolism and Purpose in Religious Structures

Sacred Geometry is an absorbing introduction to the principles underlying all geometry and a thorough exploration of how religious architecture through the ages has embodied these principles. Nigel Pennick discloses the key to all structure - from molecules to the human body to galaxies - as he traces the history of this transcendent form megalithic stone circles through Gothic cathedrals and Baroque churches to Art Noveau. Sacred Geometry investigates the best examples of this science: structures that not only exhibit ingenuity and complexity but that were also imbued with magic powers and profound psychological meaning. It shows how each time a geometrical form is created, an expression of universal oneness is made; from the dawn of time religious structures have expressed this unity in every detail. Sacred Geometry discusses the major styles as Egyptian, Classical, Romanesque, Islamic, Gothic, and Renaissance. Enlightening, lucid, and thorough, this insightful book reveals how buildings that conform to these timeless principles mirror the geometry of the cosmos; it also shows us how to live more fully in harmony with the world and ourselves.