Aisles : Lateral naves, usually lower in elevation than the principal nave. The space before the chancel is traditionally        composed of a nave and two aisles.

Ambulatory : corridor encircling the chancel, permitting access to the absidial chapels by pilgrims.

Apse : the eastern end of the church, behind the main altar. Almost invariably rounded in continental construction, the apseis         is composed of ambulatory and chapels.

Apsidal chapel : rounded space off the ambulatory, usually containing relics and dedicated to the saint whose remains it        houses. The apsidial chapels are favored places of private devotion as such are locuses of pilgrimage.

Arcade : series of arches permitting passage from nave to aisles or from chancel to ambulatory. The nave arcade supports the        nave elevation.

Arcatures : series of small arcades topped by an arch.

Arch : a curved structural device, usually of masonry, used to support a structure as well as enlarge an opening. The arch,        whether semi-circular or lancet, is one the principal components of medieval architectural design.

Arch, triumphal : monumental, usually triple, arcade originating with the Romans. It was built to commemorate a particular        sovereign or military victory. In regions most closely associated with the Carolingian empire, triumphal arches were built as        gateways (Rhineland) or incorporated into church facades (Aquitaine).

Arching : covings adorned with statuary which comprise an archivolt.

Archivolt : set of arches rising above a doorway. In the Romanesque and Gothic styles, the archivolt frames the tympanum, a        richly sculpted panel.

Bay : basic unit of vault structure, consisting of a pair of intersecting diagonal arches framed laterally by transverse arches and        longitudinally by stringers.

Buttress : massive square pillar supporting the exterior wall of a building. It carries the weight of the vault.

Capital : the flared head of a column on which rests the lintel or the spring of an arch.

Chevet : the altar end of a church.

Chancel : the enclosed portion of a medieval church between the nave and the high altar. Monks, canons, and other clergy        reside in the chancel during the liturgy.

Clerestory : highest level of the nave or chancel elevation. Filled with windows, the clerestory offers natural lighting to the        vault.

Column : cylindrical, vertical support of a building.

Corbel : support of a cornice, usually carved.

Cross, Greek : cross whose vertical and horizontal arms are of equal length

Cross, Latin : cross whose shaft is longer than its cross-piece. The Latin cross dominates in Western church construction.

Embrasure : splay of a window or door, i.e., slender columns leading diagonally into a doorway, which support the arching.        In the Gothic style, the columns of the embrasure contain statuary.

Gothic (early, radiant, flamboyant) : style which spread throughout Europe between 1150 and 1500. Its principal features        are the pointed arch, the intersecting ribbed vault, and the flying buttress. Three periods are recognized, each one more        ornate than preceding period. 1) Early Gothic is characterized by Paris and Chartres cathedrals, 2) Radiant Gothic by        Reims cathedral and the St. Chapelle in Paris, and 3) Flamboyant Gothic by the cathedral of Toul and the choir of Mont        St. Michel.

Keystone : wedge-shaped stone in the center of an arch or a pair of intersecting diagonal arches. It holds the arch or vault        intact.

Lantern : polygonal or round tower with openwork rising above the transept crossing of a church.

Lantern turret : occurs in pairs flanking the facades of Romanesque churches in Aquitaine. Could be lit at night to guide        pilgrims.

Narthex : vestibule of a church, contiguous with the nave and situated within the main entrance. Often surmounted by a        gallery.

Nave : main gathering space for the faithful. It occupies the longest

Ogival : refers to the style using lancet or pointed arches. Also termed "gothic".

Pier : vertical mass of stone which receives, via the flying the buttress, the thrust of the vault.

Pillar : massive column.

Portal : monumental doorway permitting access to a church, fortress or courtyard. Romanesque and Gothic churches contain        three portals in the west facade, one in the north transept, and one in the south transept.

Rib : stone reinforcement along the groin of a vault. In the radiant and flamboyant style, purely decorative ribs were added        between those which served a structural purpose.

Romanesque : style in vogue between 1050 and 1200, consisting of semi-circular arches, relatively massive walls supported        by buttresses, and consequently smaller openings for natural light. The Romanesque style evolved as rapidly as the Gothic        which replaced it, and despite the Romanesque interior's reputation for gloominess, great sanctuaries such as Vezelay        and Autun achieve a lightness and a luminosity which rival those of the first Gothic edifices.

Rose : great circular window in the facade and/or transepts of a church.

Spire : polygonal or cone-shaped cap of a tower or belfrey.

Stained-glass window : window made of pieces of painted and baked glass, assembled with strips of lead to form an image.        The images are usually surrounded by a border of geometric shapes which, in the iconoclastic Cistercian style, completely        replace figurative designs.

Stringer : longitudinal arch which forms one side of a bay.

Transept : Transverse space cutting across the nave at right angles. The transept separates nave from chancel and gives the        church its characteristic cross shape.

Transept crossing : the space where nave and transept intersect.

Transverse arch : lateral arch framing the bay.

Triforium : gallery above the aisles which, due to a series of arcades, looks out over the nave.

Tympanum : space between the lintel of a doorway and its archivolt. Romanesque and Gothic tympana are decorated with        great Bibilical themes, notably those concerning Christian eschatology. The tympanum over the central portal is typically        concerned with the Last Judgment, while the right and left portals of the west facade are often devoted to the Virgin Mary.        The north transept portrays scenes from the Old Testament while the south transept is devoted to the prophets and the        New Testament.

Vaulting (barrel, groined, oven) : arched ceiling made of masonry. the barrel vault is a longitudinal half circle often        reinforced with transverse arches; the groined vault is formed by the intersection, at right angles, of two barrel vaults. The        groin vault lies at the origin of the bay system; the oven vault is a half dome, vertically transected, which covers the apse        of a church.

Davy, Marie Madeleine. Initiation à la symbolique romane. Paris : Flammarion, 1977.
Durand, Jannic. L'art au Moyen Age. Paris: Bordas, 1989.

In the collection La grammaire des styles (highly recommended for its schematic drawings):
     Castieau, Thérèse. L'art roman. Paris: Flammarion, 1982.
     Willesme, Jean-Pierre. L'art gothique. Paris: Flammarion, 1982.

Mâle, Emile. The Gothic Image. New York: Harper and Row, 1958.
Radding, Charles and William Clark. Medieval Architecture, Medieval Learning. New Haven, Yale, U. Press, 1992.
Young, Brian. The Villein's Bible. Stories in Romanesque Carving. London: Barrie and Jenkins, 1990.