MYSTERIES OF THE EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE - HIKARI Ltd

22 History
Figure 1.40: Vesica Piscis
The vesica piscis (“fish’s bladder”) [204] (Figure 1.40) was the central diagram
of Sacred Geometry for the Christian mysticism of the Middle Ages.
It was the major thematic source for the Gothic cathedrals such as that
at Chartres. Renaissance artists frequently surrounded images of Jesus and
framed depictions of the Virgin Mary with it [285]. Its intimate connection
with √ 3 is revealed by the presence of the equilateral triangles in Figure 1.40.
It in fact predates Christianity [170] and is known in India as mandorla (“almond”).
It was used in early Mesopotamia, Africa and Asia as a symbol of
fertility. To the Pythagoreans, it symbolized the passage of birth. Figure 1.41
shows the image of Jesus Christ enclosed in a vesica piscis from a medieval
illuminated manuscript. Such images allude to his life as a “fisher of men”.
Figure 1.41: Jesus Christ
Utilizing a vesica piscis and a large triangle within it that is further subdivided,
Figure 1.42 reveals the tripartite structure of many naturally occurring
objects [271].