Church & Cathedral Labyrinths

Terracotta Angel, c.1896
Watts Chapel, England

Photo ©: Jeff Saward/Labyrinthos

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Labyrinthos Bibliography - Recommended Reading & Sources

Amé, Emile. Les Carrelages émaillés du Moyen Age. Paris, 1859.

Un Fil D'Ariane Pour Le Labyrinthe de Chartres. Chartres, France, Association des Amis du Centre Médiéval Européen de Chartres, 1999.

Clayton, Mary. The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Anglo-Saxon England. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. (Labyrinth manuscript, Abingdon, England).

Critchlow, Keith, Jane Carroll and Llewylyn Vaughan Lee. Chartres Maze - a model of the universe? London: RILKO Occasional Paper No.1, 1975.

Durand, Julien. "Les Pavés Mosaïques en Italie et en France." Annales Archéologiques, XIV & XVII, Paris, 1855 & 1857.

Ferré, Robert. Origin, Symbolism and Design of the Chartres Labyrinth. St.Louis, MO: One Way Press, 2001.

Gailhabaurd, Jules. L'Architecture du Ve au XVIIIe siecle. Paris, 1858.

Haubrichs, Wolfgang. "Error inextricabilis. Form and Function der Labyrinthabbildung in mittelalterlichen Handscriften." Text und Bild: Aspecte des Zusammenwirkens zweier Künste in Mittelalter und früher Neuzeit. Wiesbaden, 1980, pp.63-174.

James, John. The Master Masons of Chartres. Leura, NSW Australia: West Grinstead Publishing, 1990.

Kern, Hermann. Through the Labyrinth. ed. Robert Ferré & Jeff Saward. Munich: Prestel, 2000. (Chapter VII provides an extensive catalogue).

Ketley-Laporte, John and Odette. Chartres - le labyrinthe déchiffré. Chartres: Éditions Garnier, 1997.

Kraft, John. "Labyrinths in Nordic Churches" Caerdroia 24 (1991), pp.29-37.

Lundén, Staffan. "A New Labyrinth at Knidos" Caerdroia 33 (2002), pp.6-12. (Early Christian labyrinth inscription).

Mastrigli, Manuela. "The Volterra Lectern Labyrinth" Caerdroia 30 (1999), pp.6-9.

Mastrigli, Manuela & Fulvio Pompili. "A Labyrinth in the Centre of Rome" Caerdroia 30 (1999), pp.10-16. (Castel S.Angelo)

Matthews, W.H. Mazes and Labyrinths - A General Account of their History and Developments. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1922.

Reed Doob, Penelope. The Idea of the Labyrinth from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1990.

Rypson, Piotr. "The Labyrinth Poem" Visible Language, XX 1 (1986), pp.65-95.

Saint-Hilaire, Paul de. L'universe Secret du Labyrinthe. Paris: Robert Laffont, 1992.

Saward, Jeff. Labyrinths & Mazes. London: Gaia Books, 2003 & New York: Lark Books, 2003. (Chapter 3 provides a complete catalogue of church & cathedral labyrinths in Europe).

Saward, Jeff. "The Pavement Labyrinth in Gent Town Hall, Belgium" Caerdroia 32 (2001), pp.59-61.

Saward, Jeff & Jørgen Thordrup. "Mazes & Labyrinths of Denmark III" Caerdroia 26 (1993), pp.57-59.

Schaefers, Fons. "A Catalogue of Labyrinths & Mazes in the Netherlands" Caerdroia 32 (2001), pp.28-35.

Simek, Rudolf. "Völunderhús - Domus Daedali: Labyrinths in Old Norse Manuscripts" Nowele vol.21-22 (1993) Odense University Press, pp.323-368.

Soyez, Edmond. Les Labyrinthes D'Églises. Amiens: Yvert & Tellier, 1896.

Thordrup, Jørgen. Alle Tiders Labyrinter. Silkeborg, Denmark: Dixit, 2002. (Church labyrinths in Denmark & Scandinavia).

Trollope, Rev. Edward. "Notices of Ancient and Mediaeval Labyrinths" The Archaeological Journal XV (1858), pp.216-235.

Verbrugge, Rév.Père A.-R. "L'énigme des labyrinths" Atlantis 365 (1991), pp.200-279.

Villette, Jean. "L'énigne du labyrinthe de la cathédrale" Notre-Dame de Chartres 58 (1984), pp.4-13.

Wallet, Emanuel. Description d'une crypte et d'un pavé mosaïque de l'église St-Bertin à Saint-Omer. St.Omer and Douai, 1843.

Watts, Mrs.G.F. (Mary). The Word in the Pattern - A Key to the Symbols on the Walls of the Chapel at Compton. London: Ward & Co., 1904.

Wright, Craig. The Maze and the Warrior. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2001.

Christian Church & Cathedral Labyrinths

From their origins in the 4th century, through the Mediaeval period when they became widespread in Europe, to modern times, without doubt this is the most well-researched aspect of labyrinth history, but still one of the most contentious. Many books and papers focus on this subject area and specific examples.

Labyrinthos Bibliography - Specialist Sources

Back to Bibliography Page

Pavement labyrinth,
Chartres Cathedral, France