Architectural Glossary

 

abat-son
An architectural device constructed to reflect sound in a particular direction. Typically it takes the form of large louvers which direct the sound of church bells from a bell tower toward the ground.

abacus
Rectangular strip running along the top of a capital, sometimes decoratively carved.

ambulatory
A covered passage around and behind the altar, linking it with chapels at the east end of the church.

apse
A rounded alcove or extension, usually at the east end of a church.

arcade
A line of arches.

archivolt
An arch set immediately inside a larger arch.

barrel vault
A rounded ceiling shaped like half a barrel, which runs the length of the nave and has no rib vaults. Most commonly seen in early medieval churches.

basilica
(basilique in French; basilika in German) Term describing an architectural style, the status of a church, or both. (1) Architecturally, a basilica is an oblong, colonnaded building that was used in the Roman Empire as a town hall or law court. The style was later adapted by Christianity in its church architecture. (2) With respect to status, a basilica is a church that has been awarded special status by the Pope. In this regard, basilicas may be classified as Major or Minor Basilicas.

bay
A section of the nave, usually marked by vertical shafts or supporting columns at its four corners and arches on each side.

belfry
The upper story of a tower where bells are hung, or a purpose-built structure for the hanging of bells.

blind arch
An arch without windows. Especially seen in Romanesque churches.

buttress
A mass of masonry or brickwork projecting from or built against a wall to give additional strength. See also flying buttress.

Byzantine
Relating to the Eastern Roman Empire, with its capital in Constantinople, especially after the fall of Rome.

campanile
Bell tower, usually separated from the main building.

capital
Decorative feature at the top of a column, sometimes carved.

cathedral
(cattedrale or duomo in Italian; cathédrale in French; dom in German; catedral in Spanish) A church of any size or architectural style that serves as the headquarters of a bishop. It is so named because it contains the bishop's cathedra, seat or throne.

cella
The inner, holiest chamber of a Classical temple or a Roman shop facing the street.

chancel
The eastern or front end of a church, containing the choir and altar and usually reserved for use by the clergy and choir.

chapel
A small building or room set aside for worship. Large churches or cathedrals might have many chapels dedicated to different saints.

chantry chapel
Special chapel for prayers for the dead, usually including the tomb of the deceased.

chapter house
A building attached to a cathedral where the monks or chapter meet to govern the cathedral.

chevet
East end of a church as seen from the outside, especially one with an apse and radiating chapels.

chevron
A zigzag pattern characteristic of Romanesque decoration that is often carved around pillars, arches and doorways.

choir
Also spelled quire. The eastern arm (front) of a church, where services were historically sung.

church
(église in French; iglesia in Spanish; igreja in Portugese; chiesa in Italian; kostel in Czech; kirche in German; kirk in Scottish; kerk in Dutch) A building used for Christian worship.

cinquefoil
Ornamental tracery in the form of a flower with five symmetrical petals.

clerestory
From "clear story." The uppermost level of nave walls, usually containing windows.

collegiate church
A church governed by a chapter of canons that is not a cathedral.

Composite
An order of Classical architecture that is a combination of Ionic and Corinthian.

corbel
(from Latin corvus, "crow") A projecting bracket used for support, often decoratively carved.

Corinthian
The most decorative form of Classical architecture, characterized by fluted columns, capitals carved with leaves and flowers and a flat roof. The Romans used the Corinthian order more than the Greeks.

cornice
Overhanging edge of a sloping roof.

crossing
The point at which the transepts cross the nave of a church.

cruciform
Cross-shaped.

crypt
A vaulted chamber made to house graves and relics, generally located beneath the chancel. Many crypts were made very large to allow access to pilgrims.

Decorated
Second phase of Gothic in England, of the early 14th century. Characterized by sinuous decorative forms and considerable surface decoration.

Doric
The simplest of the Classical orders of Greek architecture, characterized by wide shafts, simple capitals (semicircle topped with a square) and no bases. The Parthenon in Athens is an example of Doric architecture.

Duomo
In Italian, a church that is or once was a cathedral. The formal word for a current cathedral is cattedrale.

dorter
A monastic dormitory.

engaged column
A half-column set into a wall or other flat surface.

feretory
A chapel containing the shrine for a saint's relics.

Flamboyant
The late Gothic style in France, characterized by long wavy tracery designs.

flushwork
A decorative technique for exterior walls, in which designs are picked out in white stone against a background of flint cobbles.

flying buttress
A free-standing buttress linked to a church wall by an arch or part of an arch that serves to transmit the outward thrust of the wall to the buttress.

frater
A monastic dining room or refectory.

font
(Also baptismal font) A bowl-shaped container, usually of stone, which contained holy water for baptism. Usually located near the west door, sometimes the fonts had elaborately carved wooden canopies.

gable
Triangular portion of a wall between the lines of a sloping roof.

Galilee
A vestibule or occasionally a chapel, originally for penitents and usually at the west end of a church.

gallery
Also called a tribune. An upper story over an aisle, opening on to the nave.

gargoyle
A grotesque carving, usually in the form of a human or animal, usually at the end of a spout designed to carry rainwater away from the wall of a church.

Gothic
A style of architecture that was prevalent in Western Europe from about 1200 until 1550. Common characteristics include: Pointed arches; tall, slender pillars; flying buttresses; large windows with ornate tracery. In England, Gothic is normally divided into three succeeding phases - Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular.

Greek cross plan
Church floor plan with four equal arms. See also Latin Cross Plan.

groin vault
Vault (ceiling) of a bay formed by the intersection of two barrel vaults.

hagioscope
Also called a squint. A hole cut through a church wall or pillar in order to give a view of the altar.

High Altar
In a church with several altars, the main altar located in the chancel.

Ionic
A form of Classical architecture characterized by slender fluted columns, large bases like stacked rings and capitals decorated with scroll shapes.

jamb
A vertical post supporting a window frame or doorway.

Kaiserdom
In German, a imperial cathedral (i.e. associated with a Holy Roman Emperor).

keystone
A wedge-shaped or tapered stone placed at the top of an arch or vault. In vaulting it occurs at the intersection of the ribs of a ribbed vault.

Latin Cross Plan
Church floor plan with one arm longer than the other three.

lavatorium
A room or building in a monastery where monks washed before meals.

Lombard band
A decorative feature of some Romanesque architecture, originating in Lombardy, consisting of a row of small blind arches divided by vertical pilasters.

louver
(spelled louvre in British English). A frame with horizontal and vertical slats, which are angled to admit light and air but keep out rain and sun shine (or noise, in some cases). As building management services has improved and technology has quickly changed, these louvers have been automated to save on overall cost while providing a pleasant living environment inside buildings. Louvers originated in the Middle Ages as lantern-like constructions that were fitted on top of roof holes in large kitchens to serve as ventilation while keeping out rain and snow.

narthex
Foyer, entryway or porch at the western end of some churches.

nave
The place where the congregation gathers from worship, as distinct from the place from which the service is led. It usually contains pews and one or more aisles.

neo-Gothic
(also called Gothic Revival). Modern imitation of the Gothic style of architecture, which originated in 18th-century England and became popular throughout Europe and North America.

niche
A shallow recess in a wall designed to contain a statue or some other ornament.

night stair
A staircase used by the monks to enter a church directly from their dormitory in order to attend late night and early morning services.

Norman
Term used for Romanesque architecture in Britain, which originated in Normandy and arrived in Britain after the Norman invasion of 1066.

oculus
Circular window.

pediment
In Classical architecture, a triangular area above the horizontal roof of a temple or other building, usually decorated with reliefs.

pendentive
A concave triangle supporting a corner of a circular dome built over a square space.

Perpendicular
The final phase of Gothic in England, characterized by large windows with vertical tracery and flattened arches.

pilaster
A column with square or rectangular edges

porch
A covered entrance to a doorway. In some great churches these are large and elaborate structures.

priory
A monastery or convent led by a prior. Originally, a priory was an offshoot from a larger abbey, to the abbot of which it continued to be subordinate. Today there is often little distinction between an abbey and a priory.

quoin
Dressed stone at the corner of a building.

refectory
A monastic dining room.

relieving arch
A wide arch that encompasses two or more smaller arches.

reredorter
A monastic toilet.

rib vault
Vault (ceiling) of a bay supported by intersecting diagonal weight-bearing ribs

Romanesque
A style of architecture that flourished in Western Europe between 1050 and 1200, deriving its name from the fact that it drew much of its influence from Roman architecture. In England, it is also called the Norman style. Some of the characteristic features of this school of architecture are: Rounded arches; squat, massive pillars; small windows; and simple, carved decoration.

sanctuary
Literally, "the sacred place." In classical temples, the entire sacred area comprising the temple complex. In churches, historically the section containing the altar, as distinct from the nave. (In modern lecture-hall plans, the two are not architecturally distinct and therefore "sanctuary" refers to both parts together.) In medieval times, fugitives from the law were immune from arrest in the sanctuary.

scriptorium
A room set apart for writing in a monastery.

sedilia
A set of stone seats close to an altar for use by the officiating priests.

shrine
A building or place (from an entire church or temple to a small plaque or statue) used for devotion commemorating an event or person.

slype
A covered walkway from the transept or cloisters of a cathedral to the chapter house.

spandrel
The walling above and around the curve of an arch.

spire
An elongated, pointed structure that rises from a tower, turret, or roof.

squinch
Small arched vault supporting each corner of a dome over a square space.

squint
See hagioscope.
Carved stonework of interlaced and branching ribs, particularly the lace-like stonework in the upper part of a Gothic window.

transept
In churches and cathedrals with a cross-shaped floor plan, the transverse, usually shorter, arm of the church. The transept is usually located between the nave and the chancel and usually lies north to south.

transverse arch
An arch that supports the main vault and connects the nave walls.

tribune
Raised section in the nave or transept of a church.

triforium
Section of nave wall above the main arcade

trifoil or trefoil
Ornamental tracery in the form of a flower with three symmetrical petals.

trumeau
Central pier in a doorway, sometimes decorated with sculptures.

tympanum
An area above a door between the lintel and the arch. This area is often filled with sculpture, especially in Romanesque churches.

undercroft
Also called a crypt. A vaulted underground room beneath a church which may be used either as a burial place or for storage.

Venetian Gothic
A style of architecture combining use of the Gothic lancet arch with Byzantine and Arab influences. The style originates in 14th century Venice where the confluence of Byzantine style from Constantinople met Arab influence from Moorish Spain. Chief examples of the style are the Doge's Palace and the Ca' d'Oro in Venice. The style was revived in the 19th century, largely through the influence of British architectural critic John Ruskin and his treatise The Stones of Venice. In North America the style was popularized by architects Charles Amos Cummings, Frank Furness, William Robert Ware, and Frederick William Stevens.

vestry
Room in a church where the clergy and choir dress and the vestments are kept.

westwork
(German: westwerk). Wide entrance area at the west end of a church, usually with an upper chamber and at least one tower. Especially common in Northern European architecture.