The Colors at the Main Gate of the Mainz Cathedraljwr47

The main entrance at the Mainz CathedralAt the northern side of the Mainz Cathedral the main entrance provides access to the main marketof the city. The bronze doors have been cast around 1000 AD and the surrounding pillar section hasbeen dated 1200AD.

Next to the bronze doors we may identify two pillars with Corinthian capitals. Thepillars have been replaced in earlier eras. One of the pillars has been painted black, theother one red. Originally both pillars had been made from black slate1.

The red and black color contrasts of the painted pillars suggested to investigate the traces of redcolor at the former pillars at the Wrzburg cathedral, which I had discovered a few months ago.Mainz and Wrzburg are being connected by the river Main and of course the color symbolism ofthe pillars might have been synchronized around 1200AD.

My suggestion had been based on a right pillar named Iachim and a left pillar named Booz, whichof course required some more comparative study. First of all I checked the Wrzburg Iachim-pillar,which had been decorated with red color. The Iachim-pillar has been described in 1. King 7(Elberfelder translation) as located at the right side.

1 Translated quotation from Das Marktportal am Mainzer Dom

1: Color Symbolism at the Mainz Cathedral

The Corinthian CapitalsBoth Corinthian capitals and the decorations of both socket bases are slightly different. Comparedto the difference between both the Wrzburg pillars titled Iachim respectively Booz the pillars ofthe Mainz cathedral's main entrance are rather negligible. However the mason may easily havechosen to produce symmetrical pillars with symmetrical designed capitals and sockets.

Symmetry however seemed to have been unwanted. And therefore color symmetry may have beenequally unwanted from the beginning as well.

In a photograph the left pillar may look relatively blue, but my inspection reveals the slate stone isreally black. In fact slate is defined as a dark bluish gray color2. Slate gray is a gray color with aslight azure tinge that is a representation of the average color of the material slate. As a tertiarycolor, slate is an equal mix of purple and green pigments3.

Maybe the slate color also had been considered as the locally available best fit choice for thesymbolical color blue as quoted in the Bible. The slate pillar may not have been painted at all andoriginally also the red pillar may have been am unpainted red sandstone element.

2 Slate-color - definition of Slate-color by The Free Dictionary3 Slate gray

3: Left-sided pillar (black) 2: Right-sided pillar (red)

5: Left-sided pillar (black) 4: Right-sided pillar (red)

The pillars Booz and JachimBetween 1230 and 1644 the pillars labeled Booz and Jachin4 had been located at themain entrance of the Wrzburg Kilian-cathedral. The prototype pillars for Booz andJachim had been based on the equivalent entrance pillars at the Jerusalem Temple whichhad been designed by the Freemasons' Father Hiram of Tyre.

Both Wrzburg pillars had been labeled at the top of the capitels (Booz respectively Iachim)5.Traces of red paint may even be identified in my photographs. Other colors may not be identified bysimply observing, but at my last inspection I found blue or dark traces at other sculptures 6. Ofcourse I had not been enabled to do some professional analysis for chemical or physicalinvestigations of the pillars' colorings.

The 8-segmented Iachim-pillar had been equipped with a complex knot, whereas the 4-segmentedBoaz-pillar has been decorated with two simpler knots.

4 Jachin is explained in Gen 46,10; Boas in Ruth 2-45 Jachin und Boas Bibelwissenschaft.de6 Symbolism in the Wrzburg Episcopal Residence

6: The Booz and Jachim pillars at the Wrzburg Cathedral (1230)

7: Iachim pillar (1230) 8: Booz and Iachim

Jachin and Boas in medieval churchesIn medieval eras (1200-1230) the Temple's pillars used to be designed very carefully. Thecorresponding biblical quotations is found in 1 Kings 77:

15 He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits incircumference.[h] 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of thepillars; each capital was five cubits[i] high. 17 A network of interwoven chains adornedthe capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 18 He made pomegranates intwo rows[j] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[k] Hedid the same for each capital. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were inthe shape of lilies, four cubits[l] high. 20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around.21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he namedJakin[m] and the one to the north Boaz.[n] 22 The capitals on top were in the shape oflilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.

Boaz stood on the left and Jachin ("founding", Tiberian Hebrew Yn) stood on the right.Jachin that is, "He will/shall establish". Boaz that is, "In its strength"

Equipping portals with Jachin and Boas had been quit common in medieval eras mostly as architecturally superfluous pairs of pillar at the entrance section. Especially inItaly in the 12th century (such as Santa Maria Maggiore in Tuscania) these pillars havebeen rather popular. These elements referred to Solomon's Temple as a predecessor ofthe Church and the durance and power. In the Wrzburg cathedral the pillars had beenlabeled JACHIM and BOOZ

In the 18th century JACHIM and BOOZ grew to be understood as Freemasonsymbols, especially dedicated to the entrance portal. These pillars equally symbolizedstability, power and humanity.

In Rudolf Steiner's Theosophic ideas Jakim (!) symbolized the introduction ofmankind into human life. In contrast Boas represented death and a transfer entry intoa spiritual world. (German title: Weltwesen und Ichheit, Gesamtausgabe 169, 1963,58ff).8

Pillars in Freemason symbolismBoth pillars Jachin (right) and Boas (left) are elements in a Freemason's symbolism. These pillarsare to be included as pillars for the assembly hall. Boaz is to be located on the left and Jachin("founding", Tiberian Hebrew Yn) on the right. Jachin that is, "He will/shall establish".Boaz that is, "In its strength".

7 Jachin und Boas Wikipedia8 Jachin und Boas Bibelwissenschaft.de

The Color Codings in the pillars of Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy In Theosophy some of the symbols9 for Boaz and Jachin have been painted red and violet-blue suggesting a representation of the red & blue blood.

Generally the red J-pillar is arising from the sea and the violet-blue ( to be more precise the violetborder color of the rainbow) B-pillar from the soil.

Apokalyptisches Siegel 4; painted by Clara Rettich according to Rudolf Steiner's ideas, Stuttgart 1911 Licence Creative Commons Namensnennung, Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen.

Boaz is known as the pillar of strength or severity and represents the Sun. Jachin is known as thepillar of beauty or mildness and represents the Moon. Boaz and Jachin are built into the architectureof all masonic lodges.

These colors red & blue may be found in various locations of Mainz.

9 Apocalyptic seal (1911) and Jachin and Boas and Adam Kadmon in center of Jachin and Boaz. Androgyne of male and female, as above so below.

9: Apokalyptisches Siegel, gemalt von Clara Rettich (Stuttgart 1911)

Symbolic usage of Red & Blue Colors in Mainz

St. Mary in Red and Blue (Market place in front of the Mainz Cathedral)

St. Mary in red, white and blue and Josef blue, white and red

10: St. Mary in Red and Blue (Marketplace in front of the Mainz Cathedral)

11: The holy family in red, white and blue (downtown Mainz)

Printing in Red & BlueAlthough Guttenberg merely had printed in black & white the sample of color printing always usesred & blue as a standard illumination procedure for Bible manuscripts.

Red & Blue at the front side of an ancient wooden clock (1750)Also an ancient clock illustrated a male person in red and a blue person in blue as decorations.

12: Red & Blue at the front side of an ancient wooden clock (1750)

Red & Blue in the Mainz EvangeliarThe Mainz Evangeliar in the Gutenbergmuseum reveals an alternating red & blue illuminated pageIm Principio Erat... of the Genesis page:

Red & Blue at a Mainz baptismal font In the largely destroyed ruins of St. Christoph church small niches have been reconstructed and inone of these I discovered the red & blue baptismal font in which Guttenberg had been baptized as achild.

13: Red & Blue at a Mainz baptismal font

A Merovingian King in Red & Blue 10The Mainz regional museum exhibits a Merovingian Duke or King of Planig in red & blue. Thegrave had been discovered in 1939. The king's death had been documented at 525 n. Chr.

I am unsure whether the colors of his garments had been identified as the symbolic colors red &blue.

10 2010: Der Frst von Planig - Mainzer Landesmuseum

14: Merovingian Duke or King of Planig

The red Huns' pillar in front of the Mainz CathedralThe red Heunensule (Huns' pillar) in front of the Mainz Cathedral is located exactly in front of themain entrance portal.

Originally the Huns' pillars had been produced as a set op pillars for the Mainzcathedral. However the architect mason obviously despised the material and chose otherpillars. In the beginning 42 pillars may have been created, in the 18 th century 14, andaround 1960 a total number of eight. 11

At the millennium festivities (1975) one of the remaining Huns' pillars had been presented to thecity of Mainz.

11 Heunensule

15: The red Heunensule (Huns' pillar) in front of the Mainz Cathedral

InhaltsverzeichnisThe main entrance at the Mainz Cathedral...........................................................................................1

The Corinthian Capitals...................................................................................................................2The pillars Booz and Jachim............................................................................................................3Jachin and Boas in medieval churches............................................................................................4Pillars in Freemason symbolism......................................................................................................4The Color Codings in the pillars of Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy ..................................................5

Symbolic usage of Red & Blue Colors in Mainz.................................................................................6St. Mary in Red and Blue (Market place in front of the Mainz Cathedral).....................................6St. Mary in red, white and blue and Josef blue, white and red........................................................6

Printing in Red & Blue.........................................................................................................................7Red & Blue at the front side of an ancient wooden clock (1750)........................................................7Red & Blue at a Mainz baptismal font ................................................................................................8A Merovingian King in Red & Blue ....................................................................................................9The red Huns' pillar in front of the Mainz Cathedral.........................................................................10

The main entrance at the Mainz CathedralThe Corinthian CapitalsThe pillars Booz and JachimJachin and Boas in medieval churchesPillars in Freemason symbolismThe Color Codings in the pillars of Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy

Symbolic usage of Red & Blue Colors in MainzSt. Mary in Red and Blue (Market place in front of the Mainz Cathedral)St. Mary in red, white and blue and Josef blue, white and red

Printing in Red & BlueRed & Blue at the front side of an ancient wooden clock (1750)Red & Blue in the Mainz EvangeliarRed & Blue at a Mainz baptismal fontA Merovingian King in Red & Blue 10The red Huns' pillar in front of the Mainz Cathedral