definition architecture Flashcards
Space alongside the body of a church, separated from it by columns, pier
Aisle
Bas- coté
The table in a Christian church at which the bread and wine are consecrated in communion services.
Altar
Autel
A painting or carving above or behind an altar.
Altarpiece
retable
Semicircular or polygonal extension, especially of a chancel or chapel. In classical architecture sometimes called an exedra.
Apse
apside
Under-surface of an arch, or a moulded band following its contour.
Archivolt
Arichivolte/Voussure
The simplest kind of vault, in the form of a continuous semicircular or pointed arch
Barrel Vault
Voute en berceau
A funerary monument to someone buried elsewhere
Cenotoph
cénotaphe
The part of a church near the altar, reserved for the clergy and choir.
Chancel
Choeur
The place of assembly for the members of a monastery or cathedral
Chapter House
Salle du chapitre
A complex of elaborate architectural structures at the eastern end of a church, especially a French Gothic church, usually consisting of a semicircular or polygonal apse with radiating chapels and many buttresses
Chevet
Chevet
The part of a church where the choir performs.
Choir
choeur
The upper part of the nave, choir, and transepts of a large church, incorporating a series of windows which admit light to the central parts of the building.
Clerestory
Claire -voie
A covered, and typically colonnaded, passage round an open court in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral.
Cloister
Cloitre
The intersection of a church nave and the transepts.
Crossing
croisée du trancept
An exterior support for a wall that sticks out from the wall and is typically arch-shaped, often used in Gothic cathedrals.
Flying buttress
Arc boutant
Grotesque carved human or animal face or figure projecting from the gutter of a building to carry water clear of a wall.
Gargoyle
Gargouille
Style of architecture prevalent in western europe in the 12th-16th centuries, characterized by pointed arches, elaborate tracery and large windows.
Gothic
Gothique
A vault formed of two barrel vaults intersecting at right angles.
Groin vault
Voute en arrête
Central stone in an arch or vault
Key Stone
Clef de voute
Enclosed vestibule or covered porch at the main entrance to a church.
Narthex
Narthex