Abstract

The symbolism of the heavenly, represented in the Temple of Jerusalem, has inspired diverse interpretations of both mystical and archaeological type. The reconstruction by the Jesuit, Juan Bautista Villalpando, which took place amidst hermetic teachings, vitruvian norms, and in a religious Spain, merges all these aspects into a harmonious order that spawns a model of perfect architecture as well as the consummate religious edifice. In this vision of the Temple, deciphered from the prophet Ezechiel's abstract and messianic description, the ideal order of divine creation is drawn. Villalpando's drawings and explanations aim to reconcile the sublime in geometry with matter, therefore imitating divine creation while not ceasing to be an imaginative, worldly interpretation. According to Villalpando, in Ezechiel's vision, the spiritual aspect of the Temple of Salomon, God revealed the future Church. After the incarnation of Christ, this Church can be a reality. Villalpando's conception, which was embodied in the palace and monastery of El Escorial, represents the built ideal.