TXMI Test 2 Terms

Apse

a semicircular or polygonal recess that is covered with a vaulted or domed ceiling

Fresco

a mural painting technique where water-based pigments are applied to freshly laid, wet lime plaster

Nave

the central longitudinal space of a church designed to accommodate the congregation

Minaret

a tall, slender tower attached or adjacent to a mosque, featuring one or more projecting balconies from which the muezzin calls Muslims to prayer

Madresah

a traditional educational institution in the historic Muslim world focused primarily on teaching Islamic law (Sharia and fiqh), the Quran, and related sciences

Mosque

a Muslim house of worship

Ribbed Vault

an architectural ceiling or roof structure formed by a framework of intersecting arched ribs that support lighter, thin stone panels in between

Feudalism

a medieval social, political, and economic system where a monarch or lord gave land (called a fief) to vassals in exchange for military service, loyalty, and labor

Tympanum

the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door, or window, framed by a lintel and an arch or pediment

Triforium

an interior gallery or passageway in a church, located above the main side-aisle arcades and below the upper clerestory windows

Chevet

the eastern, apsidal end of a traditional Christian church, specifically featuring a circular or polygonal choir surrounded by an ambulatory and radiating chapels

Ambulatory

a curved or straight semicircular walkway that wraps around the high altar and choir of a church, or forms a covered passage around a monastery cloister

Linenfold

a style of wood carving on paneling that looks like vertically folded cloth or parchment

Quatrefoil

a symmetrical decorative shape formed by the outlines of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter

Abbot Suger

a 12th-century French cleric and statesman who led the rebuilding of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, creating the foundational model for Gothic architecture

Buttress

an exterior projecting structure—usually made of stone, brick, or concrete—built against a wall to support and reinforce it

Tracery

an ornamental architectural pattern of branching, interlacing lines or stone ribs

Sedia

"chair" in Italian

Heraldic Pattern

a specific design, symbol, or arrangement of colors used on a coat of arms or shield to identify a person, family, or institution

Pilaster

a shallow, rectangular architectural element that projects slightly from a wall to look like a flat column

Cusp

a pointed projection formed by the intersection of two curved lines or lobed shapes

Cherub

a winged celestial being in religious tradition or, in everyday use, an innocent, pretty, or chubby child

Swag

a decorative ornament that hangs in a drooping curve between two fixed points

Cartouche

an oval, oblong, or shield-like ornamental tablet resembling an unrolled piece of parchment or a scrolled frame, typically used to hold inscriptions, dates, coats of arms, or low-relief carvings

Pavilion

a freestanding or attached open-air structure used for shelter, pleasure, or entertainment

Quoins

masonry blocks or bricks used to form and reinforce the external corners of a building