The power of numbers
Numbers and proportion control the architecture of St. Stephen’s down to the tiniest detail. 3 and 4 dominate the cathedral’s specifications. 3 represents the supernatural, 4 the natural. 3 plus 4 gives us 7, which is considered the perfect number: the number of days in which the world was created, of intercessions, of sacraments. The south tower of St. Stephen’s cathedral is 444ft (136.4m) high, the cathedral 333ft (107.2m) long, according to old specifications. Admittedly it extends 348ft (112m) by today’s system of measurements. There are 343 steps leading to the steeple room in the south tower. And 12 (3 x 4) smaller steeples group around the spire of the south tower: Christ, surrounded by his 12 Apostles.