Romanesque and Gothic Architecture Review

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key structural terms, figures, and theological concepts associated with the Romanesque and Gothic architectural periods discussed in the lecture.

Tympanum

The semicircular area above the main doorway of a church, often decorated with architectural sculpture such as scenes of the Last Judgment.

Gislebertus

The name inscribed beneath the feet of Christ at Autun Cathedral, traditionally identified as the artist/sculptor or potentially the patron.

Lintel

The horizontal structural element located above a doorway and below the tympanum.

Historiated Capital

A column capital decorated with narrative carvings that tell a story from the Bible or religious teachings.

Cistercian Order

An alternative Benedictine order that favored isolated communities, geometric precision, and a total rejection of elaborate decoration.

Bernard of Clairvaux

The 12th-century leader of the Cistercian order who argued against expensive and distracting church decorations in favor of simplicity.

Scriptorium

A room in a monastery where monks copied manuscripts by hand before the invention of the printing press.

Westwork

A monumental, west-facing entrance block for a church, typically featuring two large towers and multiple portals.

Compound Pier

A massive structural support used in Romanesque and Gothic churches consisting of a central pier with multiple engaged columns or colonnettes.

Quadrant Vault

A vault shaped like a quarter circle, used as a structural support above the aisles to counteract the outward thrust of the nave.

Opus Modernum

A Latin term found in medieval manuscripts meaning "modern work," used to describe the era of architecture now called Gothic.

Cephalophore

A saint represented as carrying their own head after being decapitated, such as Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris.

Abbot Suger

The 12th-century religious figure at the Abbey of Saint Denis who is credited with initiating the transition to the Gothic architectural style.

Lux Nova

Latin for "new light," a term used by Abbot Suger to describe the transformative and sacred effect of light passing through stained glass.

Tracery

The ornamental stonework frame that supports the glass in a Gothic window.

Flying Buttress

An external structural innovation that carries the outward thrust of the building's roof directly to exterior vertical piers, allowing for thinner walls and larger windows.