Church Architecture Chapter 11 Flashcards

Architectural Terms and Definitions

• Ambulatory: Continuation of aisled spaces on either side of the nave around the apse, designed for walking; often found in churches.
• Antependia: Decorative textile or material that hangs in front of an altar, distinct from altar linens and cloths.
• Apse: Large semicircular or polygonal recess in a building, typically housing the altar in a church.
• Apsidal Chapels: Similar structure to an apse that contains an altar, often vaulted and attached to the main building.
• Arcades: A series of arches supported by columns or piers; can be decorative (blind arcade) when arches are engaged to walls.
• Archivolt: Curved molding formed by the voussoirs of an arch, outlining the tympanum.
• Bailey: The outer courtyard of a castle, serving as the first line of defense.
• Barbicans: Defensive fortifications located at the entrance or portal of a gate.
• Bar Tracery: Delicate tracery in Gothic windows created using thin stone or wood elements, contrasting with plate tracery.
• Bas-de-page: French term referring to pictures located at the bottom of manuscript pages.
• Battlements: Fortified sections on buildings or walls characterized by crenellations for defensive purposes.
• Bosses: Decorative knob-like elements found at intersections of vault ribbing or as projections in designs and metalwork.
• Buon Fresco: Painting technique where water-based pigments are applied onto wet plaster, resulting in durable art.
• Buttress Piers: Exterior masonry supports made of stone or rubble designed to strengthen walls and vaults.
• Cames: Lead strips used to hold together pieces in leaded or stained glass windows, characterized by grooves for fitting glass.
• Choir: Reserved section of a church for clergy, located between the crossing and apse or within the nave.
• Clerestory: Upper section of church walls featuring windows that allow light into the nave, situated above the roofs of aisles.
• Colonettes: Small, thin columns used decoratively or to provide support in Gothic architecture, enhancing vertical effects.
• Column Statue: Columns designed to depict human figures through intricate carvings.
• Corbels: Architectural supports that project from walls to support structures above; often featured in arching techniques.
• Crenellations: Notched wall designs created by alternating high and low sections for both aesthetic and defensive functions.