Glossary of Romanesque and Gothic Architectural Terms
ROMANICO
Flare
Refers to any vain whose width increases or decreases progressively. Flares are characteristic of the Romanesque period, chiefly, but are also found in Gothic portals between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, as evidenced by the Portico de la Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (eleventh century) or the West Gate of Leon Cathedral (thirteenth century).
Archivolt
A thread or molding in front of an arch. It is commonly used in the plural, referring to the set of arcs inscribed in each other to organize a splayed cover. Archivolts are common in Romanesque and Gothic architecture between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, as evidenced by the Portico de la Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and the West Portico of the Cathedral of Leon. Also see: archivolt. [See pictures of flaring]
BESTIARY
A set of real, fantastic, or monstrous animal figures carved with a moral significance in an architectural work, especially in the capitals of churches. Bestiaries are mainly Romanesque, such as the harpies of the Cloister of the Monastery of Silos (eleventh century).
HEADLINE
The end of a church or part of a church where the main altar is located. An example is the head of St. Clement of Tahull, a typical example of Catalan Romanesque mountain architecture (twelfth century). Outside, the term refers to the end of the temple consisting of the chancel and apse. [See photos of Lombard and this band header]
FACULTY
A lining of photos surrounding the inner courtyard of a church or monastery, such as the Cloister of the Monastery of Silos (eleventh century Romanesque).
ABUTMENT OR STEP
A massive stone structure used during the Romanesque period, attached to the outside of a wall, which serves as reinforcement to withstand the lateral pressure or thrust of a vault, as shown at San Martin de Joker (twelfth century). In the Gothic period, the abutment is isolated, free, not attached to the wall, and is responsible for moving the thrust of the building through the buttresses to the ground, as seen, for example, in the Cathedral of Leon (thirteenth century).
CRUISE
The location in a church at the crossing of the transept and the nave. It spreads from the Romanesque period, marked on the ground with a dome on horns, as in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (end of the eleventh century) or scallops, as in the Cathedral of Zamora (twelfth century), and a tower or dome outside.
AMBULATORY OR GIROLA
A semicircular extension of the aisles around the rear of the sanctuary of a church. In central plant buildings, it is the wandering space surrounding the central space. [View and compare the two previous plants, one with and one without ambulatory]
ESPADAÑA
A high wall on the facade of a building, which serves as a bell tower in its absence. It usually possesses one or more openings in which the bells are located. Espadañas are very common in small rural Romanesque churches such as the Hermitage of San Quirce of Durres, an example of Catalan Romanesque mountain architecture (twelfth century).
ISOCEFALIA
An archaic artistic norm in sculpture and painting, as in the Romanesque period (eleventh and twelfth centuries), which aligns the heads of figures at the same height to form a continuous frieze of group representations. The characters are represented in rows of the same size, as evidenced by the reliefs of the lower cloister of Santo Domingo de Silos.
JAMB
The pieces of stone, brick, or wood, placed vertically on both sides of a door or window, holding up the lintel or arch. In the Romanesque and Gothic periods, jambs are usually attached columns and statues attached to them, as evidenced by the Portico de la Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (eleventh century) or the West Portico of the Cathedral of León (thirteenth century). [See pictures of flaring]
MANDORLA
Italian for “almond,” represented by an oval or almond-shaped frame, or surrounding halo surrounding Christ in Majesty or Pantocrator and Mary also majestic, especially in Roman art. Also called a mystical almond. Example: Virgen Santa Maria de Quiriotisa Tahull (twelfth century).
PANTOCRATOR
(Greek panto-Krator = powerful) A characteristic representation of Christ during the Romanesque period, triumphant, in majesty, all-powerful at the end of time, sitting, holding the Gospels in his left hand while showing the right attitude of blessing. Example: San Clemente Tahull (twelfth century).
TETRAMORPH
A Tetramorph (Greek ôåôñá, tetra “four”, and ìïñöç, morph, “form”) is an iconographic representation of four elements. The most widespread of these, represented repeatedly in art from the Romanesque period onward, is the Christian Tetramorph related to a passage in the Revelation of John, which describes four zoomorphic angels surrounding the Pantocrator. Scholars have interpreted these angels as the four evangelists: an angel, or the winged man, is associated with Matthew because his Gospel begins by reviewing the genealogy of Christ, the Son of Man; the lion is identified with Mark because his Gospel begins speaking of John the Baptist, “The voice of one crying in the desert,” that voice would be like the lion; the bull would be Luke because his Gospel begins talking about the sacrifice Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, made to God; the eagle has been associated with the figure of John, and that his Gospel is the most abstract and theological of the four. Example: Tympanum of St. Peter of Moissac (twelfth century).
TYMPANUM
In a cover space above the lintel and on the archivolts, which can be monolithic or rigged and usually has a decoration carved in relief, to be adapted perfectly to the framework law. During the Romanesque period, the tympanum is semicircular, but it takes the form of a pointed arch during the Gothic period. [See previous picture and the flare].
TRANSEPT
A section of a church that cuts at right angles to the main hall of the building. It has two arms that extend on both sides of the crossing, which is the intersection of the nave and transept, and often protrude from the width of the ships, except in basilica-style churches. [See photos of cruise concept]