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Carolingian, Romanesque, and Gothic Architecture
Terms
15
Architecture
Undergraduate 1
05/18/2009

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Cards

Term
Narthex
Definition
The entrance porch or chamber before the nave of a church. The purpose of the narthex was to allow those not eligible for admittance into the general congregation to hear and partake in the service. The narthex would often include a baptismal font.
Term
Crossing
Definition
In a basilican church, the space where transepts (north and south arms), nave (west) and choir (east) intersect. The crossing is sometimes surmounted by a tower or dome.
Term
Transept
Definition
The north and south arms of a basilican church.
Term
Triforium
Definition
In Gothic churches, the narrow passage below the clerestory corresponding to the lean-to roof over the aisle.
Term
Clerestory
Definition
Windows placed high in a wall, generally above lower roof elements.
Term
Apse
Definition
The termination of the nave of the basilica or the choir in the basilican church. The apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome.
Term
Vault
Definition
An arched ceiling or roof of brick or stone.
Term
Machicolation
Definition
In medieval fortifications, a corbeled stone gallery projecting in front of a defensive wall, open at the bottom to allow materials (molten lead, boiling oil, and missiles) to be dropped on those below.
Term
Rib
Definition
A raised molding applied to the arris of a vault. Ribs generally project from the under surface of the vault.
Term
Westwerk/Westwork
Definition
The narthex, chapels, and towers set at the entrance end of churches of the Carolingian and later periods.
Term
Flying Buttress
Definition
In Gothic architecture, the combination of external buttress pier and slender arch, which attaches to a wall just below the springing of the vaulting in order to resist lateral thrust.
Term
Crypt
Definition
The basement level of a church, originally used for burial.
Term
Hall Church
Definition
A basilican church where the nave and aisles are of similar height.
Term
Lantern
Definition
A tower with windows rising above the roofline or above the oculus of a dome.
Term
Tympanum
Definition
A panel, generally semicircular, over the lintel and under the arch of a doorway. Also, the central triangle of a pediment.
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