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abacus or impost block: The slab at the top of a capital between the capital and the architectural member above. acanthus: A Mediterranean plant. The leaves are thick, fleshy, and scalloped. A stylization of the acanthus leaf began in Greek and Roman decoration, especially on the Corinthian capital. aisle: Open area of a church parallel to the nave and separated from it by columns or piers. applied or engaged column: A column which is attached to a wall so that only half of the form projects from the wall. apse: A vaulted extension or projection, usually from a choir or chapel and generally circular or polygonal in shape. arcade: A series of arches supported by columns or piers. architrave: The lintel or flat horizontal member which spans the space between columns; in classical architecture, the lowest member of an entablature. arch: A curved structural member spanning an opening or recess. The wedge shaped elements that make up an arch keep one another in palce and transform the vertical pressure of the structure above into lateral pressure. B barrel vault or tunnel vault: The simplest form of a vault, consisting of a continuous surface of semicircular or pointed sections. It resembles a barrel or tunnel which has been cut in half lengthwise. bar tracery: Tracery which is composed of thin stone elements rather than thick ones as in plate tracery The glass rather than the stone dominates when bar tracery is used. It gives a more delicate, web-like effect. bas-relief or low relief: Sculpture in which the carved forms project only slightly from the background. battlement or crenellation: A parapet with alternating openings (embrasures) and raised sections (merlons), used here on castle towers for defense purposes. beak-head: An ornamental motif resembling a bird's head with a prominent beak. It was common in English Romanesque architectural decoration.
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billet molding: a molding composed wholly or in part of a series of billets: small cubes, cylinders or prisms placed at regular intervals, so that their axis and that of the entire series is parallel to the general direction of the molding. blind arcade: A row of decorative arches applied to a wall. blind arch: An arch applied to a wall.
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capital: Decorative element that divides a column or pier from the masonry which it supports. centrally-planned building: A building in which the sides are of equal length and in which the main space is symmetrical when bisected laterally and longitudinally. A centrally-planned building may be square, circular, or polygonal. The most important feature of a centrally-planned building is the open space at the center of the building, developed around a vertical axis. chancel arch: The arch which separates the chancel (sanctuary or choir) from the nave of a church. choir: The area of the church between a transept and main apse. It is the area where the service is sung and clergy may stand, and the main or high altar is located. In some churches there is no choir, while in others, the choir is quite large and surrounded by an ambulatory. colonnade: A row of columns which support horizontal members, called an architrave, rather than arches. column: A cylindrical support, usually structural but often decorative. composite pier: A type of pier that is composed not of a single member but has shafts, half-columns, or pilaster strips attached to it. Corinthian capital : A capital used originally by the Greeks in a system of supports called the Corinthian order. The Corinthian capital was developed further in Roman times and used often in the medieval period, again, without strict adherence to the rest of the system. It is decorated with 3 superimposed rows of carved foliage (acanthus leaves) around the capital. At the comers of the capital there are small volutes. crenelation or battlement: A parapet with alternating openings (embrasures) and raised sections (merlons), often used on castle walls and towers for defense purposes. cross section: A diagram showing a building as if it had been cut at right angles to the ground plan.
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E egg and dart: A repetative decorative motif often used in classical antiquity and copied in the Middle Ages. It consisited of oval (eggshaped) motifs alternating with dart-like motifs.

F fan vault: A vault which consists of fan-shaped half cones which usually meet at the center of a vault. fluting: Shallow, concave grooves running vertically on a column, pilaster, or other surface. flying buttress : A free-standing buttress attached to the main vessel (nave, choir, or transept wall) by an arch or half-arch which transmits the thrust of the vault to the buttress attached to the outer wall of the aisle.

G gallery or tribune: An upper story over theaisle which opens onto the nave or choir. It corresponds in length and width to the dimensions of the aisle below it. Greek key or meander: An ornamental motif consisting of continuous bands arranged in rectilinear forms. groin vault: A vault produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel (tunnel) vaults. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults may be pointed instead of round.

H hammer beam: A short horizontal beam, usually made of wood, extending from the top of a masonry wall outward towards the center of the enclosed space, but not completely traversing it. The projecting end is usually connected to the roof with a diagonal brace. The protruding ends of hammer beams were often elaborately carved.
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hanging arch: An arch which has, or seems to have, no vertical supports. hemicycle: The group of columns, arranged in a semicircular formation, that divide the east end of a choir from the ambulatory. horseshoe arch: An arch shaped like a horseshoe. It is found particularly in Spain or in buildings influenced by Spanish ones. I infilling or webbing: The vault surface between the ribs of a rib vault. interlace :A decorative motif consisting of threads passing aver and under each other like threads in lace. intersecting arches : Arches which cross over each other in an arcade Ionic capital : A capital used originally by the Greeks in a system of supports called the Ionic order. In the medieval period, the capital was often used without a strict adherence to the rest of the system. An Ionic capital has a volute, or a spiral scroll-like carving, on each side as its major decoration. Ionic capitals are relatively rare in medieval buildings.

L lancet: A slender, pointed window. lantern: A small circular or polygonal structure, with windows all around the base, which opens above a larger tower or dome. lintel:A flat horizontal beam which spans the space between two supports. loggia: An exterior gallery, open on one or more sides, with a colonnade or an arcade. longitudinal barrel vault: a barrel (or tunnel) vault which follows the main longitudinal direction of the nave. Usually when a vault is referred to simply as a barrel (or tunnel) vault, it may be assumed to be a longitudinal barrel vault. longitudinal ridge rib or ridge rib: A rib which runs down the apex of the vault in a longitudinal direction. M mullion: The vertical element that separates the lancets of a window.

N nail-head: An ornamental motif of small pyramids, said to represent the heads of nails. Very popular in the 12th century narthex: A low projection at the western end of a church, like a porch. Although narthex is sometimes used synonymously with westwork, a narthex is usually more open and often has only one story in contrast to the more closed westwork with a large open chamber on the upper level. nave: The central longitudinal space of a bascilican church. It is usually flanked on its lond sides by aislas which are separated from the nave by columns or piers. In many churches, the lay congregation stand in the nave to attend religious services. net vault: A vault on which a complex of ribs gives a net-like appearance. niche: A recess in the thickness of a wall. O ogee or ogive arch: An arch with a pointed apex, formed by the intersection of two S curves usually confined to decoration and not used in arcade arches. Ogee arches were used only in the late Gothic period. P pediment: A triangular space above a window or entrance. Originally the triangular space was formed by the end of a gable roof and later was used decoratively pier: An upright support, generally square, rectangular, or composite. In medieval architecture there are massive circular supports called drum piers. pilaster: A true pilaster is a rectangular element of vertical masonry which projects only slightly from the wall and has both a capital and a base pinnacle: A pointed termination of a spire, buttress, or other extremity of a building. Pinnacles are sometimes ornamented. plate tracery: Tracery which uses thick areas of stone to separate glozed areas. The window may look as if it had been filled in with stone, then small openings cut through for the glass. The stone rather than the glass dominates the window.
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portal: Any doorway or entrance but especially one that is large and imposing. processional cross A large cross on a staff, carried in processions on feast days of various church holidays R refectory: A dining room in a monastery. relieving arch: An arch which encloses an arch or a window or other opening. It helps relieve some of the weight on the arch of the opening. rib: An arch of masonry, often molded, which forms part of the framework on which a vault rests. Ribs generally project from the undersurface of the vault. rib vault: A masonry vault with a relatively thin web and set within a framework of ribs. ridge rib or longitudinal ridge rib: A rib which runs down the apex of the vault in a longitudinal direction. rose window: A circular window composed of patterned tracery arranged in petal-like formation. S segmented dome or cloister vault: A dome placed over a polygonal base. It is not a semi-sphere, but is formed of curved sections which correspond to the parts of the polygon on which it rests. semi-dome: A half dome. sexpartite rib vault: A rib vault which is divided into six sections. sexpartite rib vault: A rib vault whose surface is divided into six sections by three ribs. shaft: The structural member which serves as the main support of a column or pier. The shaft is between the capital and the base. socle: A low projecting base for a wall or statue. soffit: The underside of an arch, opening, or projecting architectural element. span (of an arch or vault): The horizontal distance between the two supporting members of an arch or vault. spire: An elongated, pointed structure which rises from a tower, turret,or roof.

squinch: An arch, or a system of concentrically wider and gradually projecting arches, placed at the corners of a square base to act as the transition to a circular dome placed on the base. T transept: A rectangular area which cuts across the main axis of a basilica-type building and projects beyond it. The transept gives a basilica the shape of a Latin cross and usually serves to separate the main area of the building from an apse at the end. transverse arch: Supporting arch which runs across the vault from side to side, dividing the bays. it usually projects down from the surface of the vault. transverse rib: The projecting bands which mark the transverse arches of a rib vault. twisted ribbon: An ornamental motif of thin, continuous bands arranged in in a rectilinear fashion, and represented as if the bands were three dimensional. tympanum (plural, tympana): The basically semicircular area enclosed by the arch above the lintel of an arched entranceway. This area is often decorated with sculpture in the Romanesque and Gothic periods. voussoir : One of the wedge-shaped stones used in constructing an arch.