The Three Orders of Architecture

Introduction

The classical architecture of ancient Greece introduced three prominent orders: the Ionic, Corinthian, and Doric. These architectural styles have come to represent the foundational pillars upon which societies are constructed (Ionic, Corinthian, and Doric = Pillars of Society). The Ionic order evokes the pursuit of knowledge and the advancement of intellectual endeavours, while the Corinthian order embodies the celebration of beauty, aesthetics, and artistic expression. The Doric order symbolises strength, resilience, and the importance of organisation in societal structures.

Furthermore, in the evolution of Roman architecture, two additional orders, the Composite and Tuscan, emerged. These orders blended various elements and placed a greater emphasis on practicality and functionality.

Central to the concept of an "order" in architecture is the notion of a well-defined arrangement of components. Each part is meticulously designed to adhere to established and uniform proportions, fulfilling a specific function within the overall structure. It is through this careful regulation and coordination of architectural elements that a harmonious and cohesive whole is achieved.

Exploring the symbolism of these orders offers insights into the values and aspirations associated with classical architecture and their relevance within broader social and cultural contexts.

The Ionic Order

The Ionic column is recognised by the use of volutes, the spiral scrolls that are characteristic of the Ionic capitals and are also used in Corinthian and composite capitals. Ionic columns normally stand on a base that separates the shaft of the column from the stylobate.

Ionic Column Capital

The ancient architect and architectural historian Vitruvius associated the Ionic with feminine proportions.

Design

The major features of the Ionic order are the volutes (the scrolls) of its capital (the top).

Vitruvius wrote:

"Wishing to set up columns in that temple, but not having rules for their symmetry, and being in search of some way by which they could render them fit to bear a load and also of a satisfactory beauty of appearance, they measured the imprint of a man's foot and compared this with his height. On finding that, in a man, the foot was one-sixth of the height, they applied the same principle to the column, and reared the shaft, including the capital, to a height six times its thickness at its base. Thus the Doric column, as used in buildings, began to exhibit the proportions, strength, and beauty of the body of a man."

In The Lodge

The Ionic column holds symbolic significance within the lodge. It is commonly associated with the position of the Worshipful Master, who presides over the lodge from the East. The design and presence of the Ionic column in the lodge represent the virtue of wisdom.

Albert G. Mackey writes:

"One of the three principal supports of Freemasonry. It is represented by the Ionic Column and the Worshipful Master; because, the Ionic Column wisely combines the strength with the massiveness of the Doric; with the grace. without the exuberance of ornament of the Corinthian; and because it is the duty of the Worshipful Master to superintend, instruct, and enlighten the craft by his superior Wisdom. Solomon King of Israel, is also considered as the column of Wisdom that supported the Temple."

There are several references to wisdom in the Bible, but an adequate explanation of why the Ionic is considered wisdom is lost.

Job 12:12-13: “With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.”

I Kings 4:30-31: "Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men and his fame was in all the nations round about.”

The Doric Order

The Doric Order was associated with the masculine archetype by the Roman architect and historian, Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (c. 80–70 BC – after c. 15 BC), whilst the Ionic Order was associated with the feminine archetype.

Doric Column Capital

Originating in the Doric region of Greece, Argos, Corinth, and Sparta were among the most important cities of Doric origin. Doric (or Dorian) was one of the major dialects of the Classical Greek languages. The Doric columns are recognised by the plain circular capitals at the top of the columns. Regarded as the strongest of the three canonical orders and had a height only four to eight times their diameter, and so as such these columns were the stockiest of the orders. Because of their strength, Doric columns were commonly used on the ground floor to support the weight of upper floors.

Design

The fluted Doric column is primarily characterised by a plain capital and a column that rests directly on the stylobate (a continuous base supporting a row of columns) without an individual base. The Doric "entablature" - the assemblage of horizontal moldings and bands supported by and located immediately above the columns - includes a frieze composed of "trigylphs." These are the vertical plaques with three divisions and metopes (rectangular architectural element) for artistic or sculpted decoration.

Of the Doric Order, Vitruvius wrote:

"Wishing to set up columns in that temple, but not having rules for their symmetry, and being in search of some way by which they could render them fit to bear a load and also of a satisfactory beauty of appearance, they measured the imprint of a man's foot and compared this with his height. On finding that, in a man, the foot was one sixth of the height, they applied the same principle to the column, and reared the shaft, including the capital, to a height six times its thickness at its base. Thus the Doric column, as used in buildings, began to exhibit the proportions, strength, and beauty of the body of a man."

In The Lodge

The Doric Column is assigned to the Senior Warden in the west of the lodge and is said to represent strength. (For memory aid: Doric is near the door, close to the strong Tyler guarding the entrance to the lodge.)

When the lodge is "at labor" the Doric column is upright and when at "refreshment" the column is placed horizontally.

"The oldest and most original of the three Grecian orders. It is remarkable for robust solidity in the column, for massive grandeur in the entablature, and for harmonious simplicity in its construction. The distinguishing characteristic of this order is the want of a base. The flutings are few, large, and very little concave. The capital has no astragal, but only one or more fillets, which separate the flutings from the torus. The column of strength which supports the Lodge is of the Doric order, and its appropriate situation and symbolic officer are in the West." An Encyclopedia Of Freemasonry 1916 Vol 1 - A G Mackey

The Corinthian Order

The Corinthian order was the last of the three principal classical orders of Greek and Roman architecture. The Corinthian columns are the most ornate of the three classical orders and the ornate features toward the top of the columns come in many different designs.

The name Corinthian is derived from the region of Corinth of Ancient Greece.

Design

According to Vitruvius, the Corinthian column was created by the sculptor Callimachus (thought to be Athenian), who drew acanthus leaves growing around a votive basket. Volutes were frequently added to the columns, which measure ten times their diameter in height. In many respects, the Corinthian column follows the design of the Doric Column, possibly with similar anthropomorphic intent:

Corinthian Column

"The proportions of the orders were by the ancients formed on those of the human body, and consequently, it could not be their intention to make a Corinthian column, which, as Vitruvius observes, is to represent the delicacy of a young girl, as thick and much taller than a Doric one, which is designed to represent the bulk and vigor of a muscular full-grown man." Sir William Chambers

Of the Corinthian Column, Vitruvius wrote:

"The third order, called Corinthian, is an imitation of the slenderness of a maiden; for the outlines and limbs of maidens, being more slender on account of their tender years, admit of prettier effect in the way of adornment.

It is related that the original discovery of this form of capital was as follows. A freeborn maiden of Corinth, just of marriageable age, was attacked by an illness and passed away. After her burial, her nurse, collecting a few little things which used to give the girl pleasure while she was alive, put them in a basket, carried it to the tomb, and laid it on top thereof, covering it with a roof-tile so that the things might last longer in the open air. This basket happened to be placed just above the root of an acanthus. The acanthus root, pressed down meanwhile though it was by the weight, when springtime came round put forth leaves and stalks in the middle, and the stalks, growing up along the sides of the basket, and pressed out by the corners of the tile through the compulsion of its weight, were forced to bend into volutes at the outer edges.

Just then Callimachus ... passed by this tomb and observed the basket with the tender young leaves growing round it. Delighted with the novel style and form, he built some columns after that pattern for the Corinthians, determined their symmetrical proportions, and established from that time forth the rules to be followed in finished works of the Corinthian order."

Acanthus

Acanthus is a genus of plant that has about 30 species. These flowering plants produce sweet nectar and are highly attractive to butterflies which may account for the association with beauty. Many of the plants are also used medicinally in traditional herbal medicine.

Acanthus

In The Lodge

The Corinthian column is assigned to the Junior Warden in the south. It is said to represent "Beauty."

According to Mackay,

"This is the lightest and most ornamental of the pure orders, and possesses the highest degree of richness and detail that architecture attained under the Greeks. Its capital is its great distinction, and is richly adorned with leaves of acanthus, olive, etc., and other ornaments. The column of Beauty which supports the Lodge is of the Corinthian Order, and its appropriate situation and symbolic officer are in the South. Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

Other Orders of Architecture

Summary of Tuscan and Composite + images