The Golden Mean

Over 5000 years ago, the Greek mathematician Pythagoras defined the arithmetical and geometrical foundations of the Golden Mean, a geometrical concept in use since the ancient Egyptians. These mathematical principles were the basis of Pythagorean philosophy which saw in the purity of numbers the solution to all things. Descending from this tradition, the organization of the Medieval and Renaissance guilds in which the master transmitted his science orally to his most worthy apprentices in secret initiatory ceremonies made the understanding and assimilation of the Golden Mean the alpha et omega of the builder's knowledge. The Golden Mean is the foundation of Thoiry Castle's esoteric architecture. The Chateau's perfect proportions throughout give to the Grand Vestibule, cradle of the sun, the same proportions as the funeral chamber in Kheop's Pyramid, one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The principles of the Golden Mean, meeting point of the Christian, Hebraic, and Muslim civilizatiòons, have governed the proportions of History's greatest monuments from the European cathedrals to the Taj Mahal, India's immense funeral memorial constructed at Agra by a Persian architect assisted by numbrous master masons of different nationalities. The Golden Mean, or the Divine Proportion as Leonardo da Vinci called it, is obtained by adding 1 to the square root of 5 and dividing by 2 =1.618034.