Romanesque

St Sernin

Maiestas Domini in Saint Pierre

Bayeux Tapestry

Romanesque

Features rounded arches, barrel vaults, apses, and acanthus-leaf decorations.

Relic

Religious object associated with a saint or other venerated person

Reliquary

Container that holds sacred relics

Ambulatory

Covered walkway that encircles the apse of a church

Barrel Vaulting

Series of arches that form a tunnel-like structure

Groin Vaulting

Form an X at their intersection

Tympanum

Decorative area above a doorway or entrance that is location between the door’s horizontal frame and the arch or pediment above it

Lintel

Horizontal beam spanning on opening, as over a window or door, or between two posts.

Trumeau

Vertical post or pillar that supports the lintel of a doorway

Side Wall

Thick, heavy, and double-shelled, filled with rubble.

Jamb

Side of a doorway or window frame

Archivolt

Decorative molding or band that runs around the underside of an arch or the inner curve of the arch itself

Bestiaries

Way for medieval Christian to learn from animals which were seen as manifestations of God and were believed to have either virtuous or evil connotations

Mandorla

Almond-shaped frame that surrounds the entire body of a holy figure

Historiated Capitals

Capital decorated with humans, animals, or birds, often in narrative sequence.

Hellmouths

Entrance to hell depicted as a monster’s gaping mouth

William the Conquerer

Bayeux Tapestry records the victory of this monarch.