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Discover the Beauty of Symmetry at St Edmundsbury Cathedral: Unveiling the Golden Rectangles and Squares of its Vaulted Ceiling

Successive golden rectangles divide a golden rectangle into squares, creating a logarithmic spiral known as the golden spiral. It appears in natural phenomena and has been used in art and design throughout history.


St Edmundsbury Cathedral

St Edmundsbury Cathedral is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture located in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The cathedral was built over several centuries, with construction beginning in the 11th century and continuing into the 15th century. It is renowned for its stunning architecture, which includes intricate stonework, soaring arches, and beautiful stained glass windows.

The golden rectangle is a mathematical concept that is often associated with art and architecture. It is a rectangle whose sides are in the golden ratio, which is approximately 1:1.618. This ratio is believed to be aesthetically pleasing to the human eye and has been used in many works of art and architecture throughout history.

In the case of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, the golden rectangle can be seen in the proportion of the nave to the choir. The nave is the central part of the cathedral where the congregation sits, while the choir is the part where the choir members sing during services. The length of the nave is approximately 1.618 times the length of the choir, creating a golden rectangle.
This proportion is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also creates a sense of balance and harmony within the cathedral. The use of the golden rectangle in architecture is a testament to the way in which mathematics and art are intertwined, and how the principles of mathematics can be used to create beautiful and functional works of art.

Golden rectangle
A golden rectangle is a rectangle whose side lengths are in the golden ratio, one-to-phi, that is, approximately 1:1.618. A distinctive feature of this shape is that when a square section is removed, the remainder is another golden rectangle, that is, with the same proportions as the first. Square removal can be repeated infinitely, which leads to an approximation of the golden or Fibonacci spiral. 

 

St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Vaulted Ceiling. Golden Rectangles

 

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