Terms Flashcards
Abbey
a monastery or convent
Agrarian
relating to cultivating land or cultivation of land
Aisles
the basilican church, the portion set parallel to the nave, generally from it by columns or piers
Ambulatory
the curving passageway behind the choir of a church, often to connect the radiating chapels
Aniconic
ornamentation that is symbolically rather than literally representationally
Apse
the termination of the nave of a basilica or the choir in a basilican church
Arcade
a series of arches carried on columns or piers
Belfry
a bell tower, or a room near the top of a tower containing bells
Campanile
a bell tower, usually free standing
Cathedral
the church that serves as a seat of a bishop
Muqarmas Vaults
islamic vault treatment that fragments the surface into many concave segments, may be built in masonry or suspended as elements from an overhead structure
Cloister
a covered walk surrounding a court, usually linking a church to other buildings of a monastery
Columnar or Hypostyle Mosque
favored in Arabia, North Africa, Spain
Feudalism
government is replaced by people working the land to produce a commodity in exchange for the land they live on controlled by landlords, usually someone strong who could protect them
Galleries
the passage over the aisle in medieval churches
Greek Cross
a cross with four equal arms
Groin Vault
a compound vault where barrel vaults intersect
Haram
literally “private” or “sacred” used to describe the sanctuary in a mosque and the family living quarters in islamic house
Iwan Mosque
roofed or vaulted chamber open on one side, often facing the courtyard of a mosque
Mihrab
a niche in a qibla wall indicating the direction of Mecca
Minaret
in islamic architecture, the tower associated with the mosque from which the faithful are called to the prayer
Minbar
in a mosque the pulpit from which the imam(prayer leader) leads prayer
Monasticism
the withdrawal from the corruption of everyday life in order to contemplating things spiritual
Narthex
the entrance porch or chamber before the nave of a church
Nave
the western arm of a basilican church
Pendentive
a spherical triangle that transforms a square bay into a circle for the springing of a dome
Quincunx(cross-in-square)
five objects arranged in a square with the one in the center. Byzantine churches with the quincunx plan typically have five domes, the center one being balanced by the four domes at the corners
Rib Vault
a vault where ribs ride below and usually support the vault web
Roman Cross
a cross with three equal arms and one longer arm
Romanesque
the style based on Roman and Byzantine elements, charactererized by massive articulated wall structures, round arches, and powerful vaults
Roundel
a small circular panel or opening
Sahn
an open courtyard in a mosque
Semidomes
a surface representing one fourth of sphere often covering an apse
Squinches
a corbeled arch used to transform a square bay into an octagon for the springing of the dome
Transept
the north and south arms of a basilican church
Westwerk
the monumental, west facing entrance section of a Carolingian, Ottonion, or Romanesque church
Amphitheater
an arena with a raked settings arranged around a circular or oval floor
Barrel Vault
a semi circular vault over an rectangular space
Basilica
kings hall in roman architecture, a hall used for public administration, refers to a rectangular building that has a central section with a higher roof flanked by the lower aisles on both long sides, a semi circular projection, the apse, was often set one or both of the shorter ends
Forum
in roman towns, the open space near the center used for commerce and civic life
Hemicycle
a semicircular room or recess
Portico
a colonnaded porch
Transverse Arch
supporting arch with runs across the vault from side to side, dividing the bays
Truimphal Arch
a gateway structure with one of three arch openings, built to celebrate the return of a conquering army
Tuscan Order
an order based on Etruscan architecture, employing unfluted columns and simplified capitals(similar to the Doric Order)
Domed Mosque
the prayer hall space is dominated by the central dome surrounded by smaller and lower semi domes
