Romanesque art history definitions

abbey

a monastery for monks or a convent for nuns, and the church that is connected to it

ambulatory

a passageway around the apse of a church

apse

the end point of a church where the altar is

arcade

a series of arches supported by columns. When the arches face a wall and are not self- supporting, they are called blind arcade

archivolt

a series of concentric moldings around an arch

axial plan

a church with a long nave whose focus is the apse, so-called because it is designed along an axis

Bay

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

campanile

a bell tower of an Italian building

cathedral

the principal church of diocese, where the bishop sits

clerestory

the window story of a church

compound pier

a gathering of engaged shafts around a pier

embroidery

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

Gallery

a passageway inside or outside a church that generally is characterized by having a colonnade or arcade

Jamb

the side posts of a medieval portal

last judgement

in christianity, the judgement before god or at the end of the world

mandorla

an almond-shaped circle of light around the figure of Christ or Buddha

portal

a doorway. in medieval art they can be significantly decorated

radiating chapel

a chapel that extends out in radial pattern from an apse or an ambulatory

reliquary

a vessel for holding a sacred relic. often reliquaries took the shape of the objects they held. Precious metals and stones were the common material.

Rib vault

a vault in which diagonal arches from riblike patterns. These arches partially support a roof in some cases forming a web-like design

tapestry

a woven product in which the design and the backing are produced at the same time on a device called a loom

transept

an aisle in a church perpendicular to the nave

transverse arch

an arch that spans an interior space connecting opposite walls by crossing from side to side

triforium

a narrow passageway with arches opening onto a nave, usually directly below a clerestory

trumeau

the central pillar of a portal that stabilizes the structure. it is often elaborately decorated

tympanum

a rounded sculpture placed over the portal of a medieval church

vault

a roof constructed with arches

barrel vault

when an arch is extended in space, forming a tunnel

groin vault

when two barrel vaults intersect at right angles

voussoir

a wedge -shaped stone that forms the curved part of an arch. the central voussoir is called a keystone