The prayer labyrinth at The Needham was built in 2003 by a Boy Scout from Needham as an Eagle project. The labyrinth dates back to prehistoric time, and is perceived as sacred space. It seems to have been an integral part of many cultures, such as Celtic, Mayan, Greek, Cretan, and Native American.
The oldest existing Christian labyrinth is probably the one in the fourth-century basilica of Reparatus, Orleansville, Algeria. And while Christians used labyrinths on pre-Christian sites and modeled their own after ones used by earlier cultures, the development of the high medieval Christian seven circuit labyrinth was a breakthrough in design. Its path of seven circles was shaped like the Cross, and thus incorporated the central Christian symbol. Use of these labyrinths flourished in Europe throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries and beyond, especially in the French cathedrals of Chartres, Sens, Poitiers, Bayeaux, Amiens and Rheims and in the Italian cathedrals at Lucca and San Maria-di-Trastavera in Rome.
In the design of our labyrinth the Scout who organized the project had to create a design that was one ring smaller than the normal 7-ring labyrinth. He came up with three designs, and the church made the final selection.
Click here for a brochure about using a prayer labyrinth.
Prayer Labyrinth
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