Handout Glossary of Architectural Terms (Gothic Cathedral) PDF

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Gothic Cathedral

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Glossary of Architectural Terms

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Gothic Cathedral

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Nave Central vessel of a Christian church, extending from the entrance to the transepts, that carries you to the sacred center of the building. The nave is for the congregation to assemble. “The nave is that part of a church set apart for the laity, as distinguished from the chancel, choir, and presbytery, which are reserved for the choir and clergy. [...] The term nave derives from the Latin navis, meaning “ship,” and it has been suggested that it may have been chosen to designate the main body of the building because the ship had been adopted as a symbol of the church” (Britannica). Transept Transverse aisle crossing the nave in front of the sanctuary in a cruciform church. Crossing In front of the choir, where (typically) the nave and transept intersect. Choir The liturgical center of the building where Mass is performed. Laity (lay people, as distinct from the clergy) is barred from this space. “Area of a church designed to accommodate the liturgical singers, located in the chancel, between the nave and the altar. In some churches the choir is separated from the nave by an ornamental partition called a choir screen, or more frequently by a choir rail.” (Britannica). Ambulatory Continuation of the aisled spaces on either side of the nave (central part of the church) around the apse to form a continuous processional way.

Apse The semicircular projection at the east end of the church, beyond the choir, dotted with chapels. In a medieval building, this is where important relics would have been kept to attract pilgrims, who are integral to the economic wellbeing of the cathedral. Ribbed vault A vaulting system “in which arching and intersecting stone ribs support a vaulted ceiling surface that is composed of mere thin stone panels” (Britannica). Flying buttress “Masonry structure typically consisting of an inclined bar carried on a half arch that extends (“flies”) from the upper part of a wall to a pier some distance away and carries the thrust of a roof or vault. A pinnacle (vertical ornament of pyramidal or conical shape) often crowns the pier, adding weight and enhancing stability.” (Britannica). Tympanum The area between the lintel over a doorway and the arch above.

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Gothic Cathedral

Handout

Arcade A row of arches carried by columns or piers. Triforium “Space in a church above the nave arcade, below the clerestory, and extending over the vaults, or ceilings, of the side aisles” (Britannica). The triforium is not typically accessible to the laity. Clerestory The windowed wall above the triforium; the highest level of the tripartite elevation.

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