POWER AND ARCHITECTURE

Using the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Sainte-Chapelle as an example of how Architecture has
been used as a medium to exhibit Power.

Jerry D Moore, in his book, quoted that ‘Public Buildings are physical testimonies of the use of power
and that If one expression of power is the direction of social effort, then public constructions may reflect
the exercise of power in concrete form’. They personify political, social, economic, and religious power.
The architecture of these public structures are magnificent and of a monumental scale. It is enhanced by
the strategic choice of location, selection of robust materials, design of form and decoration.

Temple of Hatshepsut, aerial view

Since times immemorial, Architecture has been used as a tool by monarchs to express their power and
bring about social order. Hatshepsut, hailed as the female pharaoh, aimed to achieve the same by
constructing her ‘Mansion of Million Years’ at Deir el-Bahari and immortalising her reign in people’s minds.
Hatshepsut, the daughter of King Thutmose I and wife of Thutmose II, had the highest honour of God’s
Wife of Amun bestowed upon her. As Thutmose II, her husband passed away young, and his son
Thutmose III, whom he had with his lesser wife Isis, was only a child, Hatshepsut became regent of the
state until he came of age. However, during the seventh year of her regency, she crowned herself the
Pharaoh of Egypt. Considered a woman who knew her plays, she moved her coins strategically, taking
forward her ancestor’s legacy. A booming economy and successful trade are testimony to this. She led
many expeditions bringing home prosperity, of which her expedition to Punt was the most successful,
evident from the intricate carvings in her temple retelling the story. Being a female ruler in a patriarchal
society, Hatshepsut knew that she had to build a solid foundation to demonstrate her power and ingrain
her reign in people’s minds. Following in the footsteps of her predecessors, she ordered the construction
of her mortuary temple dedicated to the cult of Amun-re, Hathor, Re-Horakhty and Anubis, using
architecture as a tool to achieve status. This was flawlessly executed by Senenmut, depicting important
events and stories from her reign and elevating her public image.

Sainte Chapelle, exterior view

Sainte Chapelle, aerial view

 Louis IX named the only saintly king in all of France, is the fourth child of King Louis VIII. He wished to
dedicate a Christian locus sanctus in the palace complex in Paris paralleling the great Temple of Solomon
in Jerusalem, within which is the magnificent ark that is proof of God’s treaty with the Jews. Louis shrewdly
managed to forge connections between France and the Holy Land both politically and religiously by
dedicating his Chapelle, following which he carried out a crusade. The Sainte Chapelle, hidden today by
the towering modern buildings, once defined the skyline of Paris looming over all the other buildings,
securing the place of the most royal chapel. Designed in the Gothic style of Rayonnant, it served the
purpose of enshrining Christ’s earthly relics and as the palace chapel, reflecting a sacred space. The
Parisian palatine chapel was consciously designed to resemble a monumental reliquary turned outside in.

Temple of Hatshepsut, Fig (a)

Astute, Hatshepsut had her temple designed to replicate the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II, the
‘second menes’ (a reference to the legendary king of the First Dynasty of Egypt), calling upon the prowess
of a previously successful monarch. She took it a step further and had it constructed adjacent to his
mortuary temple, on a much grander scale, towering over all others, conveying her unparalleled status
(Fig. (b)). Referencing the Eleventh Dynasty (exterior carvings) and Fifth Dynasty (interior carvings), which
respectively resonated with two prominent sects, the Theban and Memphite populace, the temple
gracefully binds two significant periods of Egyptian history together, passing over the reigns into the hands
of Hatshepsut. The entire royal family was depicted in certain parts of the temple, but she ensured that the
people knew who the pharaoh was. On all the main parts of the temple, such as the Ebony shrine,
sanctuary of Amun-Re, Hatshepsut alone is carved into God’s embrace on the walls. In the third level of
the temple, a relief depicting Horus as a Falcon wearing a double crown signifying Upper and Lower Egypt
reinstated that the pharaoh was the tellurian manifestation of God. Moreover, the temple’s construction
spanned over 15 years and employed the farmers during the offseason.

The Sainte-Chapelle forcefully amalgamated political ideologies with religious practices through
architecture, and it was sculpted to the demands and requirements of the royal institution. Its notion was to
propagate the idea of sacral kingship by integrating local and global forms echoing with the public,
creating in architecture a powerful ecclesiastical royal image, postulating royal suzerainty. It was a
prominent stepping stone in the French autocracy’s goal towards bringing about royal absolutism. It also
presented an ingenious and creative solution to the multitude of diplomatic issues faced by the
government at the time. Adorning its walls were the carvings and paintings of the political and religious
vision of the “most Christian King”. The beautiful stained glass windows of unrivalled complexity and
length harmoniously narrate the Biblical stories from the creation to the Redemption and continue with the
lives of SS. John the Evangelist and John the Baptist.

The Temple of Hatshepsut was built entirely from the cliff itself, which consisted of white limestone, and
it was well situated to escape rock slides. Both Hatshepsut’s tomb and the temple dedicated to her divine
father Amun-Re share the same space, legitimising her rule by claiming divine birth. El-Qurn, the rock
massif, the partition between Deir el-Bahari and the valley of kings, acts as a natural pyramid dwarfing the
valley of kings, thereby escalating Hatshepsut’s significance. The temple has been designed in three
levels, with the uppermost level housing Hatshepsut’s tomb. A long ramp at the entrance leads to the first
level, followed by a longer ramp leading to the second. Two reflecting sphinxes lining the pathway to
another imposing ramp brings visitors to the third level. These massive three-tiered platforms, stepping up
to the upper-most level, could be interpreted as going up from the staff tombs. However, it had a broader
implication, a direct reference to the adjacent temple of Mentuhotep II.

Sainte Chapelle - interior view

 The Sainte-Chapelle, deeply seasoned by its setting, complementing the existing royal chapels, also
stands out as a salient monument. It was artistically integrated into the fabric of the city. The urban
population was engaged by utilising its liturgy and striking visual appeal. The unbroken interior space of
the upper chapel and main level supported on piers, a magnificent architectural accomplishment, made
Sainte-Chapelle a milestone in developing the French Court Style of architecture. The grande chasse, a
repository created of precious metals and gems located in the upper chapel, exhibited the sacred passion
relics, the key focus of the artistic scheme. All eyes are drawn to the grande chasse by elevating it on a
platform, sheltered by an exquisite baldachin. The platform is supported by a tribune screen consisting of
three arches flanking the central structure, creating an allusion to the throne of Solomon.

Temple of Hatshepsut

The grand scale and elevated platforms leading up to the third level of the Temple of Hatshepsut
through imposing ramps lined with powerful sculptures commands its due respect and evokes in us a
sense of astonishment for the architectural marvel that it is, demonstrating great power. The innovative
use of site and materials to create a monumental form could be learned. The jewelled reliquary that has
been known as the Sainte-Chapelle shows how through architectural elements, the focus of the entire
audience could be drawn to the grande chase housing Christ’s earthly relics, signifying its importance.
Both of these critically acclaimed buildings seem to solve the motive they were designed for, immortalising
its ruler and reign, bringing about societal order. “Architecture is a dangerous mix of power and
importance” is befitting to close with.
 REFERENCES

● E. NAVILLE (1894) THE TEMPLE OF DEIR EL BAHARI: ITS PLAN, ITS FOUNDERS, AND ITS
FIRST EXPLORERS., London, United Kingdom.
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● The ‘co-regency’ of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III in the light of iconography in the temple of
Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari By Marta Sankiewicz.
● INSTITUT DES CULTURES MÉDITERRANÉENNES ET ORIENTALES DE L’ACADÉMIE
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the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari By Andrzej cwiek.
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vol. 77, no. 2, 1995, pp. 308–320. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3046103. Accessed 29 May 2020.
● Caviness, Madeline H. “Three Medallions of Stained Glass from the Sainte Chapelle of Paris.”
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