Catacomb of Priscilla
Rome, Italy
Late Antique Europe
Excavated tufa and fresco
Santa Sabina
Rome, Italy
Late Antique Europe
Brick and stone, wooden roof
Ambulatory
a passageway around the apse or altar of a church
Apse
the endpoint of a church where the altar is located
Atrium
a courtyard in a Roman house or before a Christian church
Axial Plan (Basilica plan, Longitudinal plan)
a church with a long nave whose focus is the apse; so-called because it is designed along an axis
Basilica
in Christian architecture, an axially planned church with a long nave, side aisles, and an apse for the altar
Catacomb
an underground passageway used for burial
Central plan
a church having a circular plan with the altar in the middle
Clerestory
the third, or window story of a church
Coffer
in architecture, a sunken panel in a ceiling
Cubicula
small underground rooms in catacombs serving as mortuary chapels
Gospels
the first four books in the New Testament that chronicle the life of Jesus
Loculi
openings in the walls of catacombs to receive the dead
Lunette
a crescent-shaped space, sometimes over a doorway, that contains sculpture or painting
Narthex
the closest part of the atrium to the basilica, it serves as a vestibule, or lobby, of a church
Nave
the main aisle of a church
Orant figure
a figure with its hands raised in prayer
Spoilia
in art history, the reuse of architectural or sculptural pieces in buildings generally different from their original contexts
Transept
an aisle in a church perpendicular to the nave, where the clergy originally stood