Glossary of Architectural Terms

A

Alcazaba

A fortified walled enclosure within a settlement, designed for military resistance. It’s characterized by not being exclusively a military building, but also having administrative and civil functions.

Arteson

A ceiling discovered in Madrid, shaped like an inverted trough, square or polygonal, and richly decorated.

Archivolt

Molding or band around an arch. Often used in the plural to refer to all the bands of arches arranged in an abocinado opening.

Arco Lobe

Arch formed by juxtaposed lobes with small arcs drawn on the lower surface, three, five or more.

B

Bestiario

A group of real or fantastic animal monsters with a moral or architectural significance carved into a structure.

Buttress/Bracket

Solid stone attached to the outside of a wall, serving as reinforcement to withstand the lateral pressure or thrust of a vault.

C

Checkerboard

A decorative architectural relief resembling a checkerboard.

Cloister

Covered gallery surrounding a courtyard of a church or monastery.

Crossing

Place in a church at the intersection of the transept and the nave, often marked by a dome on the floor with tubes or scallops, and a tower or dome outside.

D

Dome

High structure above the crossing of churches, usually shaped like a square or octagonal tower.

E

Espadaña

High wall on the facade that serves as a bell tower in its absence. Usually has one or more openings where the bells are located.

F

Flare

Describes any surface whose width increases or decreases progressively.

G

Girola

Semicircular gallery extending from the aisles around the back of the church choir.

H

Horseshoe Arch

An arch where the curve is not straight but curved. The curve passes the center of the semicircle and is above the line of imposts.

Horn

Each of the four small domes shaped like a shell or fan that support a larger dome.

I

Isocephaly

Artistic norm where heads are aligned at the same height to form a continuous frieze in group representations. The characters are represented in rows of the same size.

J

Jamba

Pieces of stone, brick, or wood placed vertically on both sides of a door or window, supporting the lintel or arch.

L

Lombard Bands

Perpendicular bands prominent on the wall, dividing it into panels, usually accompanied by blind arcades as a frieze, the Lombard arches.

M

Mandorla

Italian for almond, representing an oval or almond-shaped frame or halo surrounding Christ in Majesty or Pantocrator.

Maxura

Enclosure surrounding the most sacred part of the mosque, where the ruler attends prayer.

Mihrab

Niche dominated by a vault or small internal space preceded by a bow, made in the qibla wall.

Minaret

Tower from which the faithful were called to prayer.

Mocárabe

Prism or inverted pyramid trunk of stucco or wood hanging from the upper part of Muslim buildings, arches, and vaults.

Mosque

Place of prayer for Muslims. It comprises a usually elongated hall with columns, haram, which focuses on the end wall called qibla where there is a niche or mihrab. Another part is the maxura, the fenced or protected space between the mihrab and the general faithful where the Caliph prays. The mosque has a patio or sahn with a source or sabil for ablutions, and near the mihrab is the minbar or pulpit.

P

Pantocrator

Characteristic representation of Christ during the Romanesque period: triumphant, majestic, almighty, at the end of time.

Pechina

Each of the four triangular curvilinear vaults on which a dome is based. They serve to transition from the square of the crossing to the circular dome.

Peralta or Enhanced

An arch extended by half a day by one or more dowels placed in a straight line above the fascia to give it greater height.

Perpignan or Transverse Ribs

An arch transverse to the axis of the nave, which encircles the barrel vault to strengthen it.

Pre-Romanesque

Generic term designating any art that precedes Romanesque art, after the classical Roman period. It’s not a designation applicable to a given geographical area, but extends to Western European art in general. The term applies to the period between the mid-5th and early 10th centuries, encompassing Ostrogothic Art, Lombard Art, Carolingian art, Ottonian art, etc., and in Spain, Visigothic Art, Asturian Art, and Mozarabic art.

Q

Qibla

Wall of the mosque oriented towards Mecca, where the mihrab stands.

S

Sabil

Source for ablutions in the sahn courtyard of mosques.

Sahn

Inner courtyard of a mosque or madrasa.

T

Tetramorph

Composite iconography of four elements related to a passage from Revelation.

Tracery

Decorative arabesque patterns consisting of a series of guilloches that give rise to stellate and polygonal shapes.

Transept

Part of a church that intersects the nave. It comprises two branches that extend on both sides of the crossing, the intersection of the nave and transept.

Trellis

Board used to close openings, preventing drafts while obscuring the view.

Tympanum

Space above the lintel and archivolts in a doorway, which can be monolithic or rigged and usually has carved decoration in relief.