urges intended by those five doors to
figure the five wounds of Christ. Even then we should be left to wonder
why he placed all the wounds in a single line; for that church has no
transept, no arms at the end of which the holes in the hands may be
symbolized by doors, which is the usual course."

"And the cathedral at Antwerp, which has two more aisles?"

"They no doubt typify the seven avenues, the seven gifts of the
Paraclete. This question of number leads me to speak of theological
enumeration, a peculiar element which plays a part in the varied subject
of symbolism," the Abbe went on. "The allegorical science of numbers is
a very old one. Saint Isidor of Seville, and Saint Augustine studied it.
Michelet, who talks nonsense as soon as he has to do with a cathedral,
is hard on the mediaeval architects for their belief in the meaning of
figures. He accuses them of having observed mystic rules in the
arrangement of certain parts of the buildings; of having, for instance,
restricted the number of windows, or arranged pillars and bays in
accordance with some arithmetical combination. Not understanding that
each detail of a church had a meaning and was a symbol, he could not
understand that it was important to calculate each, since its meaning
might be modified or even completely altered. Thus a pillar by itself
may not necessarily typify an Apostle, but if there should be twelve,
they evidently show the meaning attributed to them by the builder, since
they recall the exact number of Christ's disciples. Sometimes, indeed,
to prevent any mistake, the answer is supplied with the problem; as in
an old church at Etampes, where I read, inscribed on the twelve
Romanesque shafts, the names of the Apostles in relief, in the
traditional setting of a Greek cross.

"At Chartres they had adopted a still better plan: statues of the twelve
Apostles were placed in front of the pillars of the nave: but the
Revolution took offence at these figures, overthrew and destroyed them.

"In considering the system of symbolism it is necessary to study the
significance of numbers. The secrets of church building can only be
discerned by recognizing the mysterious idea of the unity of the figure
I., which is the image of God Himself. The suggestion of II., which
figures the two natures of the Son, the two dispensations, and,
according to Saint Gregory the Great, the two-fold law of love of God
and man. Three is the number of the Persons of the Trin