Glossary – Cathedrals
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Abacus – The square, polygonal or round stone set above a capital.
Aedicule – A frame, as for a niche, formed by a pair of columns or pilasters supporting a pediment, gable or barrel vault.
Aisle – The side spaces flanking the main nave, divided from it by an arcade.
Altar – The table on which the bread and wine of the Eucharist are consecrated.
Altarpiece – A painting or sculpture behind an altar.
Ambo – An elevated platform at which the reader or cantor stands to proclaim the scriptural readings.
Ambulatory – A route surrounding the columns of the apse for processions.
Anglican – Relating to the Church of England.
Anastasis – The Greek icon of the Resurrection depicting Christ trampling down the gates of Hell.
Antependium – The decorative panel that covers the face of the altar.
Antiphoner – A book of chants.
Apocrypha – Writings which are considered ‘secret’ or ‘hidden’ and not universally regarded as part of the Christian canon of scripture.
Apostle – One of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus as his closest followers.
Apse – A semicircular termination to a church separated from the main space by an ambulatory.
Arcade – The row of columns which divides the nave from the side aisle.
Arch – The means of spanning the space between two verticals. Arches may be swemicircular, pointed, depressed or ogee in form.
Architrave – The cross-member or lintel carried from the top of one column to the next.
Archivolt – The decorative mouldings on the underside of an arch.
Ark – In a synagogue, the cupboard on the bema at one end of the building in which the scrolls of the Law are kept.
Armaria – Cupboards in which the Gospel Books are kept when not in use.
Asperges – The chant used at the beginning of mass. Psalm 51.
Aumbry – A cupboard to store the Eucharist paten and chalice used during the mass.
B
Baldachino – Free standing canopy raised above a throne, altar or tomb.
Baptistry – The space in which the sacrament of baptism is administered.
Basilica – A long aisled building with the central nave lit by clelestory windows over the lower aisles.
Bay – The vertical division of the elevation, defined by the space between the pillars, shafts and arches.
Bema – A raised platform on the central axis of the nave. The Orthadox term for the Presbytery.
Breviary – The single volume containing all the texts for reciting the Divine Office or the Liturgy of the Hours.
Boss – The block of stone, often elaborately carved or painted, marking the intersection of the ribs of a vault.
Buttress – A masonry support strengthening walls.
C
Campanile – An Italian bell tower, sometimes free standing.
Catacomb – A place of burial excavated underground.
Cathedra – The bishop’s throne, which gives its name to a cathedral.
Cella – The inner walled structure at the heart of a temple, surrounded by colonnades.
Censer – A metal bowl filled with burning incense swung on a chain.
Chalice – The cup in which the wine of tghe Eucharist is consecrated.
Chancel – The area around the altar reserved for the clergy. Also presbytery.
Chantry – A small chapel around the chancel in which masses are chanted in memory of the deceased.
Chapel – Part of a larger church housing an altar for separate dedications from the main altar.
Choir – The part of a church reserved for the community that sang the Office.
Ciborium – A canopy supported by four columns over the High Altar or a small container for the consecrated host.
Clerestory – The upper stage of the nave pierced with windows to let in light.
Cloister – Originally intended to facilitate communication between the various living spaces of a monastery.
Coenobitic – A pattern of monastic life lived in community, under a common rule and an acknowledged leader.
Coffering – The cutting away of the thickness of a stone roof when not structurally necessary to reduce weight.
Colonnade – A series of columns supporting the architrave.
Column – Also pillar. A vertical architectural member, either round, fluted, chamfered or shafted.
Conch – A semicircular niche surmounted by a quarter-dome, often fluted like a shell.
Confessio – The subterranean chamber below the altar containing the body or relic of a saint.
Corbel – A projecting stone carved with a face or foliage, supporting a roof beam or pilaster.
Cornice – The projecting decorative moulding that forms the top course of the entablature in Classical buildings.
Cosmati – Mosaic decoration made up of geometrically shaped semiprecious stones
Crossing – The point at which the four arms of a cruciform church meet.
Cruciform – Cross-shaped.
Crypt – A vaulted chamber underneath the chancel containing the tomb of the founder or saint of the church.
Cupola – a dome-shaped vault, not necessarily a complete hemisphere.
D
Deisis – An image showing Christ enthroned flanked by the Virgin Mary and St John the Baptist.
Byzantine in origin.
Diakonion – The southern space of a church set aside for the reception of offerings.
Disciple – A follower of Jesus.
Dome – A semicircular covering for a roof.
E
Elevation – The point in the mass when the priest raises the consecrated host and chalice for veneration. Now marked by the ringing of a bell.
Entablature – The lateral course carried by a series of columns, consisting of the architrave, the frieze and cornice in a Classical building.
Episcopal – Relating to bishops.
Eucharist – The principal service of worship of the church, also called the Mass. From the Greek “to give thanks”.
Evalgelist – One who spreads the word of Christ, and more specifically the authors of the New Testament.
Evangelarium – The Book of the Gospels for Liturgical reading at the Eucharist.
Exhedre – Large niche-shaped units spanning a right-angle, used to project a quarter-dome from a larger structure.
Exultet – The proclamation of the Resurection of Jesus Christ.
F
Fan Vault – A vault featuring radiating equally spaced ribs.
Ferramenta – The base of the shrine of a saint on which the sarcophagus or requilary rested.
Filigree – A delicate form of metalwork using gold and silver wire to produce a lacy effect.
Finial – The pointed peak of a gable or pinnacle, often decorated with bunched foliage.
Flying Buttress – A type of buttress where the base is some distance from the wall, so that there is a space underneath it.
Font – The vessel containing water used for baptism.
Fresco – Wall painting created by using pigments bound with egg whites applied directly onto damp plaster.
Frieze – The middle element of the entablature providing a flat surface that can be ornamented by carving.
G
Galilee Chapel – A chapel at the entrance to a church, once used as the starting point for some processions.
Gargoyle – A waterspout often carved in the form of a grotesque figure.
Grisaille – Glass painted with stylized patterns of foliage in sepia.
Gisant – A tomb effigy in which the subject is shown lying down.
H
I
Iconoclasm – The destruction of religious images.
Iconostasis – The screen in an Orthodox church dividing the naos from the bema, which is decorated with icons.
Idiorhythmic – An individualistic pattern of monastic life, for example: of a group of hermits living in a locality but without any common rule or collective worship.
J
K
Katholicon – A Greek term for the principal church in a monastic enclosure.
L
Lady Chapel – A chapeldedicated to the Virgin Mary: in English cathedrals this was often positioned to the east of the High Altar.
Lancet – A window formed of a tall, thin single opening in the wall.
Lantern – A low tower with windows set over the crossing of the nave and transepts to provide light.
Lavatorium – A place for washing – often found in the cloister.
Lectern – A reading desk on which the Bible is placed.
Lierne Vault – A vault in which decorative ribs are added between the structurally necessary ones.
Lintel – A horizontal stone beam set over a window or doorway resting on two posts or pillars.
M
Mandorla – An almond-shaped frame containing the seated figure of Christ in Majesty.
Martyr – One who bears witness to Christ by likewise shedding their blood.
Martyrrium – A structure built over a site that bears witness to an event in Christ’s life or passion, or over the site of a martyr’s death or burial.
Matroneum – A gallery in a church set aside for women.
Mausoleum – A building set aside for burial, named after Mausolus the classical ruler of Anatolia.
Misericord – A ledge on the bottom of a seat on which worshippers canperch when the seat is tipped up – often carved.
Missal – The single volume for celebrating the Eucharist.
Mosaic – Figurative decoration achieved by setting small cubes of glass or stone (tesserae) into plaster.
Mullion – The vertical member dividing a window into two or more lights.
N
Naos – The Orthodox term for the nave.
Narthex – A vestibule or porch which forms an introductory space just outside the body of the church proper.
Nave – The main body of the church. From the Latin ‘navis’, a (upturned) ship.
Niche – A recess in a flat surface, framed by a canopy or an arch, usually for a sculpture.
O
Oculus – A small circular window.
Octagon – An eight sided structure which supports a dome or spire.
Office – From the Latin officium (duty) the name given to the pattern of daily prayer. Especially that prayed seven times daily in monastic life.
Ogee – An arch formed by two S-shaped curves.
Opus Anglicanum – English embroidery using delicately shaded silks to give a realistic three-dimensional effect.
Opus sectile – A covering for walls or floors made by cutting marble slabs into a variety of geometric shapes.
Orthodox – ‘Right thinking’ referring to a belief which is considered to be ‘correct’- or to the various branches of the Eastern Church.
P
Pantocrator – ‘All powerful’, The figure of Christ as the ruler and judge of the world. Commonly found in the central dome of a church.
Parclose – A transparent screen used to enclose an area for use as a chantry chapel.
Paschal candelabrum – A large candle set upon a column and burned throughout the forty days of Easter.
Paten – Dish on which the Host is placed for the Eucharistic prayer.
Pediment – A low-pitched triangular gable over a door, window or portico of a Classical building.
Pendentive – The curved V-shaped surface formed by building from a right-angle corner to the quadrant of a dome.
Pews – Bench seating in churches.
Pier – A substantial masonry support between two apertures, square in section made of coursed stone.
Pilaster – Decorative vertical strips in semi-relief, often fluted and projecting slightly from the wall surface.
Piscina – A basin in which to wash the sacred vessels after Mass.
Portico – A covered entrance to a building, or corridor in front of the entrance supported by columns.
Presbytery – The area in a church around the altar reserved for the clergy.
Prothesis – The space in a Greek Orthodox church reserved for the preparation of the Eucharistic elements.
Pulpit – A raised platform for preaching sermons which allows greater visibility for the congregation.
Pulpitum – The screen in front of the choir, also called the choir screen.
Pyx – A box-like receptacle, frequently circular with a conical lid, in which the consecrated Host of the Eucharist is kept.
Q
Quadripartite – Divided into four, specifically for vaults.
Quatrefoil – A geometric pattern made up of four interlocking circles like a four-leafed clover.
Quincunx – A fivefold pattern with a square or cross-shape, surrounding a central point.
R
Rayonnant – ‘Radiating’, appropriate only to the radiating pattern of the rose window.
Refectory – The monks’ dining hall.
Reliquary – A casket carrying the relics of a saint. Also the place in which it normally stands.
Reredos – A painting or relief behind the altar. Also ‘altarpiece’.
Retable – The shelf standing at the back of an altar on which the reredos stands.
Rib – The structural member of a roof vault that provides skelital articulation.
Rood – The figure of the crucified Christ between the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist supported by a rood beam or rood screen.
Rood Screen – A pierced screen dividing the choir from the nave surmounted with the rood.
S
Sacramentary – The book containing the texts needed for the celebration of the Eucharist.
Sacraments – The seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, confession, anointing, ordination and marriage.
Sacristy – The room in which the priest robes in preparation for the Mass. Also ‘vestry’
Sanctuary – The east end of the chancel containing the principal altar. Also ‘presbytery’.
Sarcophagus – A carved tomb-chest, sometimes reused for Christian burials.
Sedilia – Seating in the south wall of the chancel used by the priest and assisting deacons during the mass.
Spandrel – The triangular space between the curve of the arch and the vertical and horizontal members that frame it.
Spire – A tall conical structure often built as a marker for the church.
Squinch – The arch set diagonally over a right-angle corner of a square tower to form an octagon.
Squint – An oblique opening cut in the wall of a chancel to enable those outside to see the elevation at mass.
Steeple – The combination of a tower and a spire.
Stoup – A shallow basin on a pedistal or projecting from a corbel beside the door of a church containing holy water.
Synthronon – The curved bench or tiers of benches flanking the bishop’s cathedra.
T
Tabernacle – A small safe, frequently domed, standing on the altar or its retable in which the Eucharist is reserved.
Tabot – The flat stone tables, normally kept in the ark, on which the Eucharist is celebrated in the Ethiopian Coptic Church.
Templon – In Byzantine churches, a beamed colonnade closing off the sanctuary.
Tesserae – A small square of stone or glass used as an element of amosaic.
Theotokos – ‘God bearer’ or ‘Mother of God’.
Thurible – See ‘censer’.
Timkat – The Feast of the Baptism of Christ in the Ethiopian CopticChurch.
Titulus – The board nailed to the top of the Cross that included the words “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”, often abbreviated in Latin to “INRI”.
Tracery – The thin stone ribs in a window that divide the opening and hold the glass.
Transept – The north and south arms of a cruciform church poojecting at right angles to the main nave.
Trapeza – A Greek term meaning a table, so the refectory or dining room of a Greek monastery.
Trefoil – A geometric pattern made up of three interlocking circles like a three-leaved clover.
Tribune – A gallery above the aisles or at the end of the nave or trancepts. Also ‘triforium’.
Triforium – A low arcade over the aisles and below the clerestory designed primarily as a passageway.
Trumeau – A central column in a doorway. Often including a sculpture of the Virgin Mary or the patron saint of the church.
Tympanum – The semicircular area between a doorway and the arch above it, or the triangular area in a pediment.
U
V
Vault – Either a space underneath the floor in which people are buried, or a stone ceiling, which can take a variety of forms.
Vaulting – A system of roofing a building in stone, using the techniques developed in creating an arch by cutting wedge shaped stones.
Vesica – See ‘mandorla’.
Vestry – See ‘sacristy’.
Volute – A spiral scroll filling the triangular space between a vertical and a horizontal.
Voussoire – A wedge-shaped stone used to build an arch.
W
Web – The stone infilling between the ribs of the vault, often of a lighter or semi-porous stone.
West front – The main facade of a church or cathedral, designed to create a sense of grandeur, used as the entrance for major celebrations.
Westwerk – The monumental west end of a church consisting of a narthex below with a galleried first floor flanked by twin towers.
