Gothic Architecture Vocab

ambulatory

the passage (walkway) around the apse in a basilican church or around the central space in a central-plan church

arch

the pointed arch is widely regarded as the main identifiable feature of Gothic architecture (distinct from the round arch of the Romanesque period). The most common Gothic arches are the Lancet, Equilateral and Ogee.

buttress

a support usually of stone or brick

choir

The area of the church between a transept and main apse. it is the area where the service is sung and clergy may stand, and the main or high altar is located.

choir screen

decorated screen of wood or stone separating the choir from the rest of the cathedral

cinquefoil

in tracery, having five pendants in a circular ring; usually applied to windows and panels. See also tracery.

cloister

a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions)

crossing

intersection of the nave, transepts & chancel.

embattlements

a parapet with indentations or embrasures

flying buttress

a buttress that stands apart from the main structure and connected to it by an arch

grotesque

a carving usually of a demon, dragon, or half human/half animal, serving no utilitarian purpose. Often confused with gargoyles.

jamb

a side post of a doorway

jamb figures

located on either side of the main portal door; the first carved figures a visitor meets on a visit to a Gothic cathedral. Traditionally depicting Old Testament prophets or martyred saints.

Lancet arch

a Gothic pointed arch usually applied to long, narrow windows

mullions

stone piers dividing a window into two or more lights.

ogee

a double curve, like an elongated letter S.

bay window

a window that sticks out from the outside wall of a house

flamboyant style

a late Gothic style of architecture supersceding the Rayonnant style and named for the flamelike appearance of its pointed bar tracery

Rose window

A large round window on the west façade or transept, containing tracery that became more elaborate as the Gothic era progressed

Bay

A compartment that serves as a unit of division in a building. in a Gothic cathedral the transverse arches and adjacent piers of the arcade divide the building into bays, the design of which is an architectural unit repeated in each bay.

boss

a decoration (wood or stone) over the intersection of ribs or in the center of a panel or coffer.