These are 3D models of medieval mazes. We have created these 3D models based on the pictures of mazes found in an old architecture book.

In the book it was stated that they originally came from the floor of a medieval church. Mazes (labyrinths) used to be popular in the Middle Ages, and you could usually see them in the form of decorative mosaics on the floors and walls of buildings, and often there were outdoor garden mazes made from dense hedges. The circular maze published here is based on the ‘Chartres pattern’, one of the most commonly used medieval patterns, occurring in numerous manuscripts and cathedrals as early as the 9th century. It was named after the Chartres Cathedral in France dating from the early 13th century, famous for the world's most recognized pavement-labyrinth based on this pattern.

 

Octagonal and circular medieval mazes
3D model category
3D CAD software used for modeling

Rhino 3D

Available NURBS and BREP file formats

.stp (Standardized 3D graphic exchange file format)

 

The octagonal labyrinth is actually just a modification of the circular Chartres pattern. Probably the most famous octagonal labyrinth based on the above pattern is found in Amiens Cathedral, also in France. To be honest, we really don't know what you could use these 3D models for; we have drawn them for our own purposes, and then we felt it to be a sheer waste to have them stored in a separate folder, all by themselves, so we decided to post them here. In case you have some ideas on how to use them, feel free to download and use them, and don’t forget to proudly share with us a picture or two of your finished works!  We would be so eager to see what you have done!

 

Submitted by Ceh Jan