AP Art History Early Byzantine through Gothic TERMS

Basilica Plan

a church with a long nave whose focus is the apse

Central Plan Church

a church having a circular plan with the altar in the middle

Basilica Plan

a church with a long nave whose focus is the apse

Central Plan Church

a church having a circular plan with the altar in the middle

drum

circular or polygonal wall supporting a dome

Encaustic

method of painting that uses colored wax burned onto a wooden surface

Eucharist

service during a catholic ceremony that commemorates the moment during the last supper when christ transforms bread and wine into his body and blood

gallery

the second story of a church

Genesis

the first book of the Old Testament: tells of creation

icon

a devotional panel depicting a sacred image

impost block

a capital that utilizes at least one inverted pyramid

Martyrium

a shrine built over a place of martyrdom or a grave of a martyred Christian saint

Narthex

An entrance hall leading to the nave of a church

Pendentive

a construction shaped like a triangle that transitions the space between flat walls and the base of a round dome

squinch

the polygonal base of a dome that makes a transition from the round dome to a flat wall

Theotokos

Greek for "Mother of God." A title for Mary that describes her motherhood of Jesus

Vellum

calf hide that has been soaked in lime

acopolypse

the last book of the christian bible; details god's destruction of evil

Cathedral

a larger place of worship than a church; a bishop manages the cathedral

Clerestory

the third story of a church that is windowed and lets in light

compound pier

a pier with a group

jamb column

the side posts of a medieval portal

jamb figures

decorative figures

Marian Devotion

A prayer

Moralized Bible

a Bible in which the Old and New Testament stories are paralleled with one another in illustrations

rib vault

A vault in which diagonal arches form rib-like patterns. These arches partially support a roof

rose-window

a circular stained-glass window in a church

Sancta Camisa

literally "sacred tunic

Sedes Sapientiae

Latin

ambulatory

A passageway around the apse or altar of a church.

apse

the endpoint of a church where the altar is located

bay

a vertical section of a church that is embraced by a set of columns and is usually composed of arches and aligned windows

buttress

an architectural structure built against a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall

crossing square

a square that is created where the nave and transept intersect; determines the proportions of the church

nave

the main aisle of a church

portal

the entrance to a church

radiating chapels

small chapels that are located around the nave

side aisles

on either side of the nave

Transept

The "arms" of a Latin cross plan

triforium

the second story of a church

Aniconic

Decoration with no human figures or animals

animal style

a medieval art form in which animals are depicted in a stylized and often complicated pattern

Art of the Migration / Migration Period Art

artwork of the Germanic peoples from 300-900 CE; polychrome artwork done in animal style is common

carpet page

when flat geometric decorative designs cover the whole page of a manuscript

Chasing

to ornament metal by indenting into a surface with a hammer

Cloisonné

enamelwork (enamel is a smooth substance made of fused glass powder which can be colored) in which colored areas are separated by thin bands of metal

Codex

a manuscript in book form

Fibula

a clasp used to fasten garments

Gospels

The first four books of the New Testament

horseshoe arch

a curved or pinched arch in Islamic architecture

horror vacui

(literally

Incipit

Latin for "it begins"; typically

Interlacing

a decorative element found particularly in early Medieval European art that involved the crossing or weaving of visual elements

Mihrab

a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca

Monastacism

a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work

moorish

related to the Muslim inhabitants of northern Africa and Iberia (Spain and Portugal)

Pyxis

a small cylinder-shaped container with a detachable lid used to contain cosmetics or jewelry

Qiblah

the direction toward Mecca which Muslims face in prayer

Scriptorium

a place in a monastery where monks wrote manuscripts

Voussoirs

Stones that comprise an arch (excepting the keystone

abbey

buildings occupied by monks or nuns

Church

a smaller place of worship than a cathedral; clergyman or priest manage the church

embroidery

a woven product in which the design is stitched into a premade fabric

Last Judgement

this will occur after all the dead have been resurrected`111 and a person's soul unites with it's own physical body. At this point

Mandorla

a pointed vertical oval that typically surrounds Christ in traditional Christian art

relic

an object that has religious significance

Reliquary

a vessel for holding a sacred relic

square schematism

when the proportions of a church are all based on the dimensions of the crossing square

Tympanum

a rounded sculpture placed over the portal of a medieval church