Sacred Architecture and Temple Mysteries

Sacred buildings, whether architectural, aesthetic, or geometric, always remain wrapped, closed, and protected in a mantle of mystery and secrecy. The contents of this mystery are inherent in the intimate and arcane nature of the Temple, a nature that is externally expressed by the essence of a particular architecture characterized by being in harmony with superior principles of order and wisdom. An architecture that, with its logical rigorous symbolic, geometric, and structural organism, is essentially directed to materially illustrate spiritual conceptions, that is, to reflect the invisible in the visible, ultimately to express and transmit - in a marvelous architectural synthesis - an entire profound complex of knowledge possessed by the schools of these ancient Priest-Architects. In these special Schools, they did not teach and transmit only the extraordinary techniques of art necessary for the construction of a Temple, as they were true cenacles of all-around wisdom, in which science, art, and faith were merged, schools where they also studied the Mysteries of the Royal Art, profound teachings reserved for those having a precise essence and alchemical operativity directed toward a real transmutation of one's own consciousness. Well, the architects, their collaborators, and the various craftsmen were forged and nurtured precisely in these schools and with this knowledge, since to conceive, design, and build a Temple, it is not enough to know and apply perfectly the rules and constructive techniques, because its project is not only a mechanical thing. Above all, a profound and stable consciousness in operating is required that transcends the physical part of the work, so that the Master Builder can truly model and graft into form a precise mystical idea and spiritual teaching, thus making his Work a real resonance instrument for the consciousness of those who are searching for spiritual Truth. Therefore, true Sacred Architecture is not left to the initiative, technical flair, or aesthetic taste of architects, as it is a theocentric Art, that is, belonging to and dedicated to divinity and, as such, can only be regulated by absolute laws and realities, principles that the Architect must know, understand, and apply with faith, wisdom, and skill, so as to make it a beautiful symbolic construction in perfect resonance with the principles and archetypes of creation and thus give testimony to Wisdom and Truth. To clarify the characteristics and qualities that distinguish and qualify these Mysterious designers, also known by the appellation of "Maître-d'Oeuvre," the Master of Work, who was not only a "Maître-Maçon," a Master mason, let us say that the Composer of a sacred building must first know. For this, he must visit the heavens as he must imitate what God did first. That is, he must first contemplate the Absolute, read the Archetypes and become aware of the Models, becoming himself similar to that model, that is, to those Forces and Virtues. Then, upon return, he must succeed in reproducing the meditated Archetypal Forms, that is, translate and geometrically graft into form what he has known, experienced, and realized in himself. Here is that to succeed in this delicate and mysterious task of translating and crystallizing the invisible into the visible, these special men must be experts both in the physical and technical laws that order an exterior Temple, that is, they need to have the profound preparation of an Architect (the Maître-Maçon, the Master Mason), and, primarily, they must possess and apply the art and science of constructing the interior Temple, that is, have the characteristics of a Priest (the Maître-d'Oeuvre, the Master of Work). The true Designer of a sacred building must therefore have the Knowledge of the propelling significance of a sacred work and the Science to put it into operation in form. As such, he can be defined as the Priest-Builder, one who has made himself a perfect, humble, and active instrument of Wisdom and as such can conceive the project, design it, and direct the construction of the Temple. But attention: it is true that a geometric imprint can convey in form the action of a Spiritual Reality, but only if this has been contemplated by the Ascetic-Architect, who therefore, through his constructive (that is, theurgical) science, can recall it and impress it first in himself and then in the Temple project. A profound concept also expressed by Dante Alighieri in Convivio IV.10.11 where he says: "He who wants to design a figure cannot do so unless he is capable of becoming that figure himself." Therefore, only the Composer of a sacred construction knows totally the project and the physical and metaphysical characteristics of his work: he is the one who has written the score.