Glossary of Architectural and Art Terms
A
Apse
A semicircular or polygonal recess, usually vaulted and located at the eastern end of a church.
B
Basilica
A large, oblong building, typically with a central nave and aisles, used as a church or public hall.
C
Capital
The topmost member of a column, serving as a transition between the shaft and the entablature.
Column
A vertical, cylindrical support element in architecture.
D
Dome
A hemispherical roof or vault.
E
Entablature
The upper part of a classical order, consisting of the architrave, frieze, and cornice.
F
Fresco
A technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid lime plaster.
Frieze
The middle division of a classical entablature, often decorated with sculpture or paintings.
G
Gothic
A style of architecture prevalent in Europe from the 12th to 16th centuries, characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.
H
Hipocaustos
An ancient Roman system of central heating, using hot air circulated under the floor and through the walls.
I
Impost
The topmost member of a pier or pilaster, from which an arch springs.
M
Mosaic
A decorative art form in which small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials are assembled to create a pattern or image.
N
Nave
The central part of a church, extending from the entrance to the chancel.
O
Orchestra
In ancient Greek and Roman theaters, the circular or semicircular area in front of the stage where the chorus performed.
P
Palestra
In ancient Greece, a wrestling school or gymnasium.
Pastel
A drawing medium consisting of sticks of powdered pigment held together with a binder.
Peristyle
A colonnade surrounding a building or courtyard.
Perspective
A technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the illusion of depth and distance.
Pilaster
A rectangular column or pillar engaged to a wall.
Pilotis
Pillars that support a building, raising it above the ground.
Pinnacle
A small, ornamental turret, typically found on Gothic buildings.
Plan
A drawing or diagram showing the horizontal arrangement of a building or space.
Plinth
A square or rectangular base for a column or wall.
Polychrome
Decorated with many colors.
Polyptych
A painting or altarpiece composed of multiple panels.
Portico
A covered porch or walkway supported by columns.
Presbytery
The area around the altar in a church, reserved for the clergy.
Pronaos
The porch or vestibule of a temple.
R
Relief
A sculptural technique in which figures are carved or molded in such a way that they project from a flat background.
Reredos
A screen or decoration behind the altar in a church.
Rose window
A circular window with tracery, typically found in Gothic churches.
S
Salmer
The first stone of an arch, laid on the impost.
Sculpture
The art of creating three-dimensional forms, especially by carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster.
T
Tempera
A painting medium in which pigments are mixed with egg yolk and water.
Tessera
A small piece of stone, glass, or other material used in mosaics.
Tetramorph
A symbolic representation of the four Evangelists, typically depicted as a winged man, a winged lion, a winged ox, and a winged eagle.
Tholos
A circular building, typically with a dome.
Tondo
A circular painting or relief.
Tracery
Ornamental stonework in Gothic windows.
Transept
The transverse part of a cruciform church, crossing the nave at right angles.
Triforium
A gallery or arcade above the arches of the nave, choir, and transepts of a church.
Triglyph
A rectangular block with three vertical grooves, used in the Doric frieze.
Triptych
A painting or altarpiece composed of three panels.
Trompe l’oeil
A style of painting that creates the illusion of three-dimensional reality.
V
Vanitas
A type of still-life painting that includes symbols of mortality, such as skulls and hourglasses.
Vault
An arched roof or ceiling constructed of stone, brick, or concrete.
Vitrail
Stained glass, composed of colored glass pieces held together by lead strips.