GLOSSARY
Absidiole: semicircular
chapel around the apse.
Ambulatory: at the origin, corridor invented by Gregoire the Great
one to allow to circulate around the relics. It is more generally about a
gallery surrounding the chancel and connecting the sides. This gallery will
be gradually equipped with radiating chapels (Xe or XIe century), associating
relics with altar. The unit falls under a movement of reconquest of the space
by the faithful one, which dates from the Romance time. By building radiating
chapels around an ambulatory, one releases from the place in front of the
apse.
Apse: end of a church, behind the chancel.
Apse: end of a nave of church,behind
the altar,conclusive the chancel.
Arcade: unit made up of an arc and amounts
which support it.
Arc in mitre: arc forming an
angle.
Arch: couvrement interior of a building.
A vault can be in cradle (rather Romance). One speaks about curved cradle
when the vault is semi-cylindrical, of broken cradle when two concave sides
meet at a peak with the ridge. One sees also groined vaults when two cradles
cross by penetrating one in the other (forming a cross of Saint Andre). The
third type of vault is the ribbed vault. It can be quadripartite or sexpartite
(according to whether it crosses 2 or 3 warheads, drawing 4 or 6 voûtains).
The ribbed vault is known as barlongue when it forms, with each span, a rectangle
whose longest side is perpendicular to the nave.
Archivolt: arc which surmont the whole of the curves
Arc with double roller: arc with double line of archstone.
Blind arcade: ornament made up of several
small open or blind arcades .
Capital: stone which crowns was it of
a column, generally composed of a trencher and a corbeil.
Chancel: part from a church which shelters the altar and whose access
is reserved to the clergy. It is composed of the apse of the principal nave
and one or more spans. In the cathedrals, it is very often surrounded by a
ambulatory, of which it is separate either by a grid, or by carved sets (wood
or stone), and chapels. With the origin the chancel also was separated from
the nave by one rood loft.
Collateral: side aisle of a church.
If its height is lower than that of the principal nave, it is named side.
Crypt: generally space arranged below the chancel and which shelters
the bodies of saints and sometimes of kings.
Curves: concentric arcs in withdrawal ones compared to the others above
a gate or a window. The curves are surmounted by an archivolt.
Enfeu: niche sheltering a tomb.
Flying buttress: arc external to the building, coupled with a wall
to transfer the push from a vault towards a stone pile called abutment. Flying
butress can be on two levels and/or double flight.
Geminé: windows, arcades, columns
grouped by two without being in contact (often separated by a thin column).
Jube: transverse platform in the shape
of gallery, high enters the nave and the chancel, in certain churches. Jube
mark separation between the chancel of the canons and the church, occupied
by the faithfuls.La majority of jubés were destroyed starting from
XVIIe century.
Lintel: horizontal stone rectangle intended
to support masonry above an opening (in particular the tympanum) above the
portal
Mandorle: in sculpture, oval form which
surrounds sometimes the Virgin on her throne or Christ in majesty.
Modillon: stone placed at regular intervals
under a cornice like supporting it. Let us modillons are often decorated grotesque
figures.
Narthex: Gantry raised in front of the
nave of the basilicas.
Nave: started from a church ranging
between the gate and the chancel in the longitudinal direction, where the
faithful ones (vessel) are held. One distinguishes the central naves from
the side aisles.
Noli me tangere: ressuscity, Christ
appears to a woman, Marie-Madeleine initially. When it recognizes it, it falls
to its feet and wants to touch it. Christ dissuades some while saying to him
" does not touch me! " (in Latin, noli me tangere) and asks him
to go to carry the good news. This scene is generally opposed, where Christ
refuses a carnal contact, with the incredulity of Thomas Saint, where it accepts
it.
Pilaster: Rectangular projection committed
in the wall and comprising the same order as the column.
Register: decorative band in sculpture or painting.
Reliquary: often case in the shape of church where the relics of a
saint are protected.
Roman arch: arc in half rings.
Seraph: of Hebrew Serafim. The seraphes
are at the top of the celestial hierarchy. They are hybrid beings (human or
animal) provided with six wings. They keep the throne of God and have a role
of intercessors.
Stall: the stalls are the seats reserved
to the canons in the chancel (often enclosed). Each canon had a appointed
stall. The seat of the bishop is located normally at the Eastern end of the
southern stalls. The provision of these seats out of wooden adopts the shape
of U in which the altar is. A double row of stalls (high stalls and low stalls)
is often found. Generally, the seats are in fact of the folding seats (equipped
below a mercy), which allowed a saving in space when the monks were to remain
upright during the office. The backrests and the mercies of the stalls were
used as support with sometimes splendid woodcarvings, decorated often original
programs, all the more free since they were not intended for the faithful
ones.
Tétramorphe: representation of
the four evangelists in their allegorical forms (the angel for Saint Matthieu
, the eagle for Saint Jean , the bull for Saint Luc and the lion for Saint
Marc) . This representation is inspired by a vision of Ezéchiel and
the description of the four Alive ones of the Apocalypse according to St Jean.
Tracery: stone net furnishing a pink or the higher part of a blind
arcade.
Transept: transverse part of
the plan of church, whichcuts the principal nave to transept crossing.
Transverse rib: arc separating two parts
of vault or strengthing a barrel.
Tympanum: space included between the
lintel and the archivolt of a gate. It is used as support with very developed
iconographic programs often.