Abstract

La Divina Commedia was written nearly 700 years ago and for much of that time it has been closely examined and scrutinised across many different levels: the sources; the meaning; the linguistic structure of the poem; the hidden subtexts; the influences; the analogies and the numerology of the poem have all been analysed in detail. However, a totally neglected area of the great work is the architecture of the universe that Dante created, particularly the architecture of Paradise and the Celestial Rose. Dante attempted to create a universe that was truly Euclidian and one that was fitting for the Divine Architect with His compass and straightedge, a popular image of his time. However, Dante inadvertently created a four dimensional universe that was beyond the geometric understanding of his time. The universe that Dante created in La Divina Commedia cannot be drawn with a compass and straightedge. This paper examines Dante’s architectural metaphors, the structure of his universe, and the paradox that it creates.