GLOSSARY

Abbey, monastic complex headed by an abott.

Acanthus, spiny plant found in the Mediterranean region whose leaves are used for the Corinthian capital.

Acroteria, leafy ornaments at the peaks or corners of classical pediments

Adobe, building material made of sand, mud, clay, manure and straw.

Akron plan, a 19th-century combination of an auditorium-style church with Sunday school classrooms.

Altar, a ceremonial table for the celebration of sacrifice and feast.

Ambo, a church furnishing dedicated for public proclamation of scripture.

Ambry, a decorative receptacle for the storage of holy oils.

Annular vault, a circular barrel vault.

Apse, a semicircular, polygonalgonal or square termination at the east end of a church.

Arch, a curved structural unit made of smaller pieces that spans an opening.

Archivolt, ornamental moldings on the arches of a porch.

Arcuation, the use of arches to connect columns in a colonnade.

Ark of the Covenant, a gold-covered cedar box which served as God’s throne in the Temple of Solomon.

Arris, the seam in a groin vault or the space between flutes on a column shaft.

Artifice, the particularly clever or artful solution to an architectural design problem.

Atlas figure, male figures acting as columns.

Atrium, the open forecourt in front of a church.

Baldachino, a four-columned canopy over an altar, sometimes called a baldachin, ciborium or civory.

Baptistery, a building or font for baptism.

Barge board, a decorated board placed under a roof gable.

Baroque, a mode of visually dynamic classicism in art and architecture, usually associated with 17th and 18th century Europe and New World colonies.

Base, the lower components of a column beneath the shaft.

Basilica, originally an emperor’s audience hall, later a large longitudinal building for worship. Also an honorific designation for a place of pilgrimage or artistic merit.

Bellcote, an open gable tower holding bells.

Biforiated, split into two parts.

Blind, the placement of moldings for a window, arcade or door without openings.

Boss, a multisided keystone joining the ribs of a vault.

Bucrania, carved ornaments appearing like oxen skulls indicating sacrifice and festivity.

Buttress, a projecting unit for strengthening a wall.

Byzantine Church, a division of Christianity, either Catholic or Orthodox, having its historical roots in the Byzantine Empire.

Byzantine Empire, the eastern section of the Roman Empire, named for its capital, Byzantium.

Came, the grooved lead strip holding pieces of stained glass together.

Campanile, a bell tower, often freestanding.

Capital, the upper part or head of a column.

Caryatid, columns taking the form of women.

Cast stone, fine concrete used to imitate stone.

Catacomb, underground burial vaults in Rome used by Christians.

Cathedra, the chair representing the authority of the office of bishop as successor of an apostle.

Cathedral, the church which contains the cathedra.

Centering, wooden formwork used to construct arches.

Chalice, the ornamented cup used for the Eucharist.

Chapel, a smaller church or section of a church, often with specific dedication or use.

Chimera, a carved figure on a church, often in the form of a monster. See gargoyle.

Choir, an interior chapel or delineated location used for liturgical song.

Christ, name for Jesus meaning “anointed one.”

Clapboard, overlapping wooden boards used for siding.

Classical, a method of architectural and artistic design originating in ancient Greece and Rome which imitates the processes of nature and seeks numerical and symbolic harmony.

Clerestory, the level of upper windows in the central nave of a basilica.

Cloisonné, the use of molten glass as enamel to decorate metal objects.

Cloister, the enclosed courtyard of a monastic building complex.

Coffer, ornamented recessed panels, usually in a ceiling.

Colonnade, a row of columns.

Colonnettes, small columns typically found in medieval architecture.

Composite Order, a column type combining round volutes with the leaves of the Corinthian capital.

Compound pier, a large support composed of smaller vertical members.

Concatenation, the chain-like arrangement of elements from edge to center.

Concrete, a building material composed of concrete joined with small stones as an aggregate.

Confessio, a tomb chapel beneath an altar.

Corbel, a component which extends beyond a wall’s surface to support members above.

Corinthian, a column type recognizable by its capital covered in acanthus leaves.

Cosmatesque, elaborate decoration composed of small stone pieces.

Crenellation, a row of high and low battlements at the roofline of a building.

Crocket, a projecting ornament composed of curving or bent foliage.

Crossing tower, the tower over the crossing of a church.

Cruciform plan, designed in the shape of a cross.

Crypt, the underground section of a church.

Cubit, an ancient unit of measurement based on the length from the elbow to the end of the middle finger.

Diapering, a repeating pattern made of similar units.

Doric, a column type notable for its simple round capital and stout proportions.

Dormer window, a small attic window projecting from a roof.

Dormition, the “falling asleep” of the Virgin Mary in place of death.

Drip molding, a projecting molding around a window or door to shed water. Also called a hood molding.

Drum, a cylindrical section of a building, often under a dome.

Early Christian, the first three centuries of Christianity.

Egg and dart, an ornamental molding alternating small darts with eggs cut open to show their yolks.

Eighth day, the symbolic name for day after the Sabbath indicating a heavenly eternity.

Elevation, the interior or exterior vertical plane of a building.

Entablature, the elaborated horizontal beam atop classical columns.

Façade, an elevation of a building.

Flamboyant, an exuberant, flame-like decorative style common in late French Gothic.

Flying buttress, an external buttress composed of a massive tower and a flying arm connecting to a wall.

Font, a vessel for water used for baptisms.

Gallery, an upper level in a church interior for passage and sometimes spectators.

Garden of Eden, the garden symbolizing an unfallen humanity united with God.

Gargoyle, a carved figure on a church which channels water away from a roof.

Gematria, the conversion of letters into numerical equivalents.

Geometric, the mathematical ordering of things understood in the Christian context as reordering the world after the Fall.

Gothic Revival, the revival of medieval forms in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Gothic, the medieval variant of classical design generally characterized by pointed arches, vaulting and an interest in the expressive possibilities light.

Greek cross, a cross with bars of equal length.

Green Man, a face composed of foliate forms.

Grisaille, use of a monochromatic palette to indicate figural forms.

Groin vault, the joint formed by the intersection of two barrel vaults.

Halo, a circular symbol around the head of a saint indicating holiness, also known as a nimbus.

Heavenly Jerusalem, biblical name for heaven as a perfected and radiant city.

High altar, the primary altar in a church.

Iconostasis, an icon stand separating nave and sanctuary, usually found in Orthodox and Byzantine churches.

Intercolumniation, the proper spacing of columns.

Ionic, a column type recognizable by the round volutes of its capital.

Jack arch, a flat arch.

Jamb figure, column-like statues located at the edges of door openings.

Jordan River, the place of the baptism of Jesus.

Keystone, the head stone in an arch, usually enriched.

Lady chapel, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Lancet, a tall, narrow pointed window with no tracery.

Lantern, a tower with windows which allows light to enter a building.

Lectern, a small furnishing used for public reading or singing.

Liturgy, name for the solemn ritual of worship.

Load bearing, structural members which carry weight.

Mandorla, an almond-shaped ornamental surround frequently indicating an opening between heaven and earth.

Matroneum, a section of a church reserved for women.

Meeting house, building used for religious services based on secular domestic architecture used by some Protestant denominations.

Megachurch, an auditorium church holding thousands of people.

Mosaic, pictures or murals formed by small pieces of glass called tesserae.

Nave, the section of the church reserved for a congregation.

Neoclassicism, an architectural movement using the classical inheritance which prevailed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

New Classical, the return and creative reuse of classical elements beginning in the 1990s.

New Urbanism, a late 20th and 21st century movement promoting traditional city design.

Nimbus, see halo.

Oculus, a round or oval window.

Ogee arch, an arch composed of two S-shaped arcs.

Ombrellino, a small umbrella indicating the papal honor of basilica.

Onion dome, a flame-like dome typically found on Orthodox churches.

Orders, common name for differing types of columns and their respective entablatures.

Oriel window, a bay window located above the first floor, sometimes on a column-like support.

Orthodox, a branch of Christianity, often called Eastern Orthodox.

Palladian, things related to Italian architect Andrea Palladio, 1508-1580.

Pantocrator, a sacred image of Christ as the Almighty.

Paradigmatic building, a building which adeptly solves recurring design problems and is widely imitated.

Parapet, see crenellation.

Paten, a decorated plate, often gold, used for the Eucharist.

Pediment, a round or triangular form at the top of a classical porch, window or door.

Pendentive, a curved triangular wall segment which joins a round dome to a square space beneath.

Peristyle, a row of columns which fully surround a building.

Picturesque, a charming or quaint appearance based on the composition of paintings.

Pier, a vertical structural support.

Pilaster, a flat or embedded rectangular column.

Pinnacle, slender stone shafts atop Gothic buildings.

Piscina, a small basin used to dispose of water used in sacred services.

Polychromy, multicolored.

Portal, a doorway ornamented to reveal the importance of entering.

Portico, a colonnade or covered walkway used frequently as a porch on classical buildings.

Post and Lintel, the structural unit based on two vertical posts spanned by a horizontal beam.

Postmodern, a 20th-century architectural movement characterized by a renewed interest in traditional forms.

Reformation, an ecclesial reform movement in 16th-century Europe which established many Protestant denominations.

Reliquary, an ornamental container for relics.

Renaissance, a rebirth of classical learning, usually used in reference to 15th and 16th century Italy.

Reredos, the superstructure at the back of an altar containing images.

Retrochoir, the space behind a choir in a church’s east end.

Rib, structural elaborations of the seams formed by groin vaults.

Ridge board, the highest beam in a wooden roof construction.

Ridge rib, the highest rib in a stone vaulting system.

Roman brick, a long flat brick.

Romanesque, design mode commonly used in Western Europe from the 10th to the 12th centuries characterized by Roman-inspired classical elements.

Romanticism, a movement in art and architecture emphasizing the imagination and emotions.

Rood, a cross or crucifix frequently located on a beam at the transition from nave to sanctuary.

Rose window, an elaborated round window.

Rundbogenstil, a 19th century German movement which sought to combine the horizontality of the classical with the verticality of the Gothic.

Rustication, the beveling and projecting of stone blocks to make them appear to have depth and strength.

Sacristy, a chapel-like room in a church used for preparation for services and storage of sacred vessels.

Saint, a person saved by Christ, sometimes officially declared to be in heaven, then called canonized.

Sanctuary, the place of sacred action in a church. Depending upon denomination, it may be reserved to the area around the altar or encompass the entire church interior.

Semiotics, the theory of signs and signification.

Sepulchrum, small hollow in an altar into which relics are placed.

Shaft, the central vertical member of a column between base and capital.

Shrine, a building or part of a building used for veneration.

Solomonic column, swirled columns of the type thought to be from the Temple of Salmon.

Spandrel, the resulting area when an arch is inserted into a rectangular frame.

Spire, a slender, tapering finish to a church tower, sometimes called a steeple.

Spolia, architectural elements reused from older buildings.

Squinch, a support thrown across a corner, usually to support a dome.

Stained glass, glass formed with chemicals to reveal radiant color approximating gems.

Steeple, see spire.

Strainer arch, reinforcing structure added to a building to stop the settling of walls.

String course, a horizontal band across a façade.

Synagogue, a gathering place for public proclamation and discussion of scripture in the Jewish tradition which established precedent for church buildings.

Tabernacle, a decorated receptacle for the reserved Eucharist.

Tabernacle lamp, an oil lamp or candle indicating the presence of the Eucharist in a tabernacle.

Tabernacle of Moses, the tent-like structure mentioned in scripture which prefigured the Temple of Solomon.

Temple, a building dedicated to sacrificial worship which houses the presence of God.

Temple front, a motif composed of columns, entablature and pediment.

Temple of Solomon, the building representing a restored heaven and earth built by Solomon which established precedent for church buildings.

Tensile strength, the resistance of a substance to being pulled apart.

Terrazzo, a mixture of concrete and small stones used for decorative paving.

Tesserae, small pieces of stone or glass used for making mosaics.

Tester, a hanging canopy over an altar.

Tetramorph, a four-shaped figure in scripture representing the four evangelists.

Tetrastyle, four-columned.

Theocentric, centered on God.

Theotokos, honorific title of the Virgin Mary meaning Christ-bearer.

Tholos, a centrally-planned building used for veneration.

Thurible, an implement used to hold charcoal upon which incense is burned.

Tie bar, an iron rod which adds strength to stained glass windows.

Tintinnabulum, a small bell indicating the papal honor of a basilica.

Trabeation, the structural unit of beam upon columns.

Tracery, elaborated stone mullions found in medieval windows.

Transept, the arm of a cross-shaped church.

Transverse arch, an arch crossing at 90 degrees to a wall.

Triforium, an arcaded story on the interior of a church elevation, usually immediately above the arcade.

Triptych, a three-paneled altarpiece.

Triumphal arch, a portal indicating victorious entry in the Roman culture, frequently adapted for church entries.

Trumeau, a central supporting pier in a large doorway supporting the tympanum.

Truss, an assemblage of smaller parts forming a strong, rigid beam.

Turret, a small tower.

Tympanum, the area above a door beneath an arch and above its lintel; also the interior of a pediment.

Vault, masonry arches projected to cover space.

Victorian, of or relating to England’s Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837-1901.

Vitruvius, ancient Roman architect and author, c. 1st century BC.

Volute, a spiral scroll-shaped form frequently found on Ionic columns and supportive decoration.

Webbing, the stone membrane between ribs.

Wrought iron, iron heated and shaped by hand rather than melted and cast.

Source: Dr. Denis R. McNamara, How to Read Churches: A Crash Course in Ecclesiastical Architecture. Rizzoli, 2011.