Editing Trinity (section)

== Architecture ==
[[File:ClevelandCathedral.jpg|thumb|Three doors representing the trinity at [[Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Cleveland, Ohio)|a cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio]]<ref>{{cite web |website=The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist |location=Cleveland, Ohio |url=https://saintjohncathedral.com/the-front-entrance |title=The Front Entrance |quote=A central doctrine of the Catholic Faith is symbolized in the three arches of the entrance the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. The center door symbolizes the Father, the north door the Son, and the south door the Holy Spirit. |access-date=13 January 2025 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301230355/https://saintjohncathedral.com/the-front-entrance |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

Almost every detail of [[Gothic architecture|Gothic cathedrals]]—the cruciform plan, the use of light, the statuary, the representation of the Trinity in [[trefoil]]s and of the [[Four Evangelists|four evangelists]] in [[quatrefoil]]s, and so on—reveals design decisions that are explicitly theological. However elaborate or simple the architecture, whether purpose-built for Christian use or not, the spaces used for Christian worship speak of theological meanings and values.<ref>Rae, M. A. (2023). Architecture and Christian Theology. St Andrews.</ref>

Many Christian churches have three doors symbolizing the Trinity. Other architectural features, such as windows or steps, are also grouped into three for this reason.<ref name=1919Kennedy>{{cite book |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pFwyAQAAMAAJ |title=Christian Symbols: Some Notes on Their Origin and Meaning |first=Katherine |last=Kennedy |year=1919 |publisher=A. R. Mowbray}}</ref> This practice originated in [[spolia]] churches that were built from, and on top of, the remains of ancient pre-Christian holy structures.<ref>{{cite book |page=59 |title=The Spolia Churches of Rome: Recycling Antiquity in the Middle Ages |first=Maria Fabricius |last=Hansen |year=2015}}</ref>

Examples are the three [[royal doors]] inside Eastern churches and the trio of doors in the [[façade]] of many [[cathedral]]s. A triangular floor plan can also symbolize the Trinity, as in [[Heiligen-Geist-Kapelle, Bruck|Heiligen-Geist-Kapelle]] in Austria.<ref name="Bruck">{{cite web |url=https://www.bruckmur.at/hgk/index.htm |title=Sanierung Heiligen-Geist-Kapelle, Bruck an der Mur |publisher=Bruck an der Mur |language=de |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122124942/https://www.bruckmur.at/hgk/index.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>