SOLOMONIC COLUMN: ORIGIN, HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, WORKS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Solomonic column is an architectural element that architects used both to support and for other functions. It fulfilled its role at the structural level, since they were necessary to resist the weight of the buildings, but it also had a decorative role, which was the characteristic that allowed them to distinguish themselves.

Its use was much more marked in the European continent, but it was also present in some countries of America. Its name is due to the description that exists on the columns in the Temple of Solomon, which had a spiral shape, a detail that characterized this element of architecture.

Source: Joanbanjo, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Solomonic column was a widely used resource during the Baroque period, specifically during the 17th and 18th centuries and especially for religious buildings.

Origin and history

The architects of the Baroque period were inspired by the descriptions that existed about the Temple of Solomon. There are no graphic records or proof of what these columns were like, since the temple was destroyed many years before Christ. There is only the account in the Bible of the form of these elements, used for the first time in Jerusalem.

It is believed that they were used recurrently throughout history and were characterized by their spiral shape. During the 4th century AD. C., the Basilica of San Pedro counted on this type of column in its construction.

That old basilica disappeared and, in the same place, in the Vatican, a new temple was erected in honor of Saint Peter during the 16th century when the first signs of Baroque art began to appear. Solomonic columns were also erected in this new temple.

The Baroque, although it was the most representative style of the use of Solomonic columns, was not the only one that used this element in its constructions. Byzantine architecture also presented these spiral forms, very present also during the Renaissance movement in Spain.

It was not an element that could be used solely in architecture. The spiral shapes of the Solomonic columns were also present in other objects of the time, such as furniture or clocks. This practice that was very common by artisans in certain parts of Europe, especially France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Meaning

The Solomonic columns were named in honor of the Tempo of King Solomon, who according to the Bible account ruled Israel for around four decades during the 10th century BC. C. The temple was also known as the Temple of Jerusalem.

According to history, in the Temple there were two columns in the portico of the place. But in turn these columns, called Boaz and Jakin, were a copy that Hiram made. The architect chosen by Solomon for the construction of his temple was based on the work of Tire, in the Temple of Hercules Gaditano in the Gadeiras Islands.

characteristics

The Solomonic columns were characterized by their spiral drawing. They give the impression of being twisted, creating a symmetrical pattern at the top of the spine. The upper part of the column, called the capital, could be made in different ways.

He followed the principles of traditional columns, since he began with the construction of a base and the capital was the top of the architectural element. As a general rule, the normal thing was that the shaft or the center of the column, had a spiral that gave the impression of having gone six turns. This allowed the columns to simulate movement.

Although it had greater force during the Baroque, and it was the architects of this time who gave it its name, it was already used in previous times. The Romans used this type of column in their time.

In Spain, and some areas of the American continent, it gained strength at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the next. They did not use it only in architecture but it was also an element present in sculptures.

Examples of architectural works with a Solomonic column

One of the best-known uses of the Solomonic columns occurred in St. Peter's Basilica. They serve to support the dome that covers the altar inside the Basilica and in total there are four.

The construction of this Basilica took more than 100 years and very important architects such as Bramante or Miguel Ángel worked there. The construction of the Solomonic columns on the altar is attributed to Bernini.

Historians claim that Bernini was inspired by the columns that were present in the previous Basilica located on the same site. There were twelve columns that had been commissioned from Greece and that arrived in the city early in the post-Christ era.

Perhaps one of the countries with the most marked presence of the Solomonic columns was Spain. It was used mostly in churches. In the Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera, in the Iglesia del Buen Suceso (Madrid) or in La Clerecía and in the church of San Esteban (both Salamanca) this architectural element was present.

According to the artistic period

The Romans used this spiral style a lot as a form of decoration in their works. They even used this type of column to tell stories, as happened in the monument of Trajan or Marcus Aurelius, variants of the Solomonic column.

In Spain the strength of this element was experienced during the time of the Churrigueresque movement. It was all due to the importance of the sculptures behind the altars in the churches. In that area it was very common to see the Solomonic columns.

Relevant authors

Due to the importance of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, it is clear that Bernini was one of the most important authors in the use of Solomonic columns. To make this possible, the Italian artist used the writings of Vignola where it was explained how the construction and design of these elements of architecture was.

In addition, Bernini relied on other references to Solomonic columns such as paintings or tapestries. His work around the altar of the Basilica was made in bronze.

The five orders of architecture, a work written by Bernini, also had great influence in Spain. All as a result of the translation of this book into Spanish at the end of the 16th century, being that time in which the first Solomonic column of which reference is had in the Cathedral of Seville was built, a work by Juan Alfaro.

References

1. Bautch, Richard J, and Jean-François Racine. Beauty And The Bible: Toward A Hermeneutics Of Biblical Aesthetics. Society Of Biblical Literature, 2013.
2. Hersey, George L. Architecture And Geometry In The Age Of The Baroque. University Of Chicago Press, 2002.
3. Huyghe, René. Larousse Encyclopedia Of Renaissance And Baroque Art. Prometheus Press, 1964.
4. Sampson, Low. The Connoisseur: An Illustrated Magazine For Collectors, 1975, p. 14, Accessed 19 Sept 2019.
5. Vandenbroeck, Paul. Antwerp Royal Museum Annual 2013-2014. Garant, 2017.