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Definition
Sarcophagus from S. Maria Antiqua,
3rd Century |
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Sarcophagus of Junius Bassos,
4th Century |
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Definition
Catacomb of Saints Petter and Macellinus
Rome
4th Century |
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Definition
Christ the Good Shepherd
4th Century |
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Definition
Christ with Disciples,
Sta Pudenziana, Rome,
5th Century
mosaic |
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Definition
Christ the Good Shepherd,
Tomb of Galla Placidia, Ravenna,
5th century |
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Definition
Santa Sabina,
Rome,
5th Century |
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Definition
San Vitale, Ravenna,
6th Century,
Begun by Ecclesias, Bishop of Ravenna,
Completed by Emperor Justinian |
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Empress Theodora mosaic,
6th Century
San Vitale, Ravenna |
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Definition
Justinian and Attendants,
6th Century
San Vitale, Ravenna |
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Definition
Haghia Sophia
6th Century
Constantinople
Erected on the site of the Nika Riots |
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Definition
se cover,
Sutton Hoo ship, England,
7th Century |
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Definition
Reliquary of the True Cross (Staurotheke)
late 8th–early 9th century
Cloisonné enamel, silver, silver-gilt, gold, niello |
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Chi-rho-iota (XPI) page,
Book of Kells,
Scotland,
9th Century |
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Definition
St. Matthew,
Gospel Book of Charlemagne
9th Century |
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Definition
Cover of Lindau Gospels,
Switzerland,
9th Century |
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The Harbaville Triptych
Byzantine ivory triptych
10th Century |
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Definition
Bursa Reliquary,
10th Century
North Italian Bone, copper-gilt, wood |
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Baptistry of San Giovanni
Florence
Late 11th Century |
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Definition
Constantine I and Justinian with Virgin and Child,
Hagia Sophia,
c. 11th Century |
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Definition
Saint-Sernin,
France,
late 11th, early 12th Century |
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Definition
Doors of Bishop Bernward,
Hildesheim, Germany
11th Century |
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Definition
Portal of Saint-Pierre,
Moissac, France,
12th Century |
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Definition
Last Judgment, Saint-Lazare,
Autun, France,
12th Century |
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Definition
Pisa Cathedral Complex,
Piza Italy
12th Century |
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Definition
Bayeux Tapestry,
Bayeux Cathedral,France,
Late 12th Century |
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Definition
Stavelot Triptych,
Mosan, Belgium,
12th Century |
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Definition
Creation & Temptation of Adam & Eve,
Italy,
12th Century |
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| The ambulatory (Med. Lat. ambulatorium, a place for walking, from ambulare, to walk) is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. |
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| In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" (Medieval Latin navis, "ship") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting. |
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| an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of aRomanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows above eye level. In either case, the purpose is to bring outside light, fresh air, or both into the inner space. |
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| a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome. InRomanesque, Byzantine and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral and church architecture, the term is applied to a semi-circular or polygonal termination of the main building at the liturgical east end (where the altar is), regardless of the shape of the roof, which may be flat, sloping, domed, or hemispherical. |
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| The transept is the area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture. The transept separates the nave from the sanctuary, whether apse, choir, chevet, presbytery or chancel. The transepts cross the nave at the crossing, which belongs equally to the main nave axis and to the transept. Upon its four piers, the crossing may support a spire, a central tower (seeGloucester Cathedral) or a crossing dome. Since the altar is usually located at the east end of a church, a transept extends to the north and south. The north and south end walls often hold decorated windows of stained glass, such as rose windows, in stone tracery. |
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The Chi Rho is one of the earliest forms of christogram, and is used by Christians. It is formed by superimposing the first two letters in the Greek spelling of the word Christ ( Greek : "Χριστός" ), chi = ch and rho = r, in such a way to produce the monogram ☧. Although not technically a cross, the Chi Rho invokes the crucifixion of Jesus as well as symbolizing his status as the Christ[1].
The Chi-Rho symbol was also used by pagan Greek scribes to mark, in the margin, a particularly valuable or relevant passage; the combined letters Chi and Rho standing for chrēston, meaning "good."[2][3] Some coins of Ptolemy III Euergetes were marked with a Chi-Rho.[4]
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| is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek εἰκών "image" and γράφειν "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the Byzantine and Orthodox Christian tradition. Still in art history, an iconography may also mean a particular depiction of a subject in terms of the content of the image, such as the number of figures used, their placing and gestures. |
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| artistic philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature and other types of art. |
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| s the ancient and classical Greek word for "fish". In English it refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish, used by Early Christians as a secret symbol[1] and now known colloquially as the "sign of the fish" or the "Jesus fish."[2] |
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Definition
s the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance bounded by a lintel and arch.[1] It often contains sculptures or other ornaments.[2] Most architectural styles include this element.[3]
In Greek and Christian architecture, tympana usually contained religious scenes.[4] Bands of molding surrounding the tympanum are referred to as the archivolt.
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| The word fenestration comes from the Latin word for window, fenestra. In general, it refers to openings in a structure. |
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| A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a fire wall or party wall |
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In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building.[1]
When in front of a building, screening the door (Latin porta), it is called a portico, when enclosing an open court, a peristyle. A portico may be more than one rank of columns deep, as at the Pantheon in Rome or the stoae of Ancient Greece. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade, but the porch of columns that surrounds a peripteral classical temple (such as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.) can be termed a colonnade.[2]
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| The little carving out of a wall.. |
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| a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, fromEastern Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism. More broadly the term is used in a wide number of contexts for an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it either concretely or by analogy, as in semiotics; by extension, icon is also used, particularly in modern culture, in the general sense of symbol |
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| constructive device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. [1] The pendentives, which are triangular segments of asphere, taper to points at the bottom and spread at the top to establish the continuous circular or elliptical base needed for the dome.[2] In masonry the pendentives thus receive the weight of the dome, concentrating it at the four corners where it can be received by the piers beneath. |
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| ny building with a circular ground plan, often covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building (a famous example being within the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circularbandstand, usually with a dome. An outcrop around said building. |
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| ustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar, . Rusticated masonry is usually squared-off but left with a more or less rough outer surface and wide joints that emphasize the edges of each block. Rustication is often used to give visual weight to the ground floor in contrast to smooth ashlar above. |
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| Tracery is an architectural term used primarily to describe the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.[1] |
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| a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification. As their military use faded, turrets were adopted for decorative purposes, as in the Scottish baronial style. |
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| s a book in the format used for modern books, with separate pages normally bound together and given a cover. |
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| thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex ormanuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned, therefore it is very reactive with changes in relative humidity and is not waterproof. The finer qualities of parchment are called vellum. |
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| An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders (marginalia) and miniature illustrations. In the strictest definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript only refers to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, but in both common usage and modern scholarship, the term is now used to refer to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western traditions. Comparable Far Eastern works are always described as painted, as are Mesoamerican works. Islamic manuscripts are usually referred to as illuminated but can also be classified as painted. |
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| iterally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the copying of manuscripts by monastic scribes. Written accounts, surviving buildings, and archaeological excavations all show, however, that contrary to popular belief[citation needed] such rooms rarely existed: most monastic writing was done in cubicle-like recesses in the cloister, or in the monks' own cells. |
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| the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 4th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. |
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| refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of theGothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque. The term was invented by 19th century art historians, especially forRomanesque architecture, which retained many basic features of Roman architectural style - most notably round-headed arches, but also barrel vaults, apses, and acanthus-leaf decoration - but had also developed many very different characteristics. |
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| a historiographical term which has been used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty. This dynasty is seen as the founders ofFrance and Germany. Depending on one's perspective, this Empire can be seen as the later history of the Frankish Realm or the early history of France and of the Holy Roman Empire. |
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| is a Latin phrase translated as "Remember your mortality", "Remember you must die" or "Remember you will die" - literally " [in the future] remember to die", since "memento" is a future imperative of the 2nd person, and mori is a deponent infinitive. It names a genre of artistic creations that vary widely from one another, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortalit |
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| are ancient, human-made subterranean passageways for burial or protection.[1] Any chamber used as a burial place can be described as a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman empire.[2] Many are under cities and have been popularised by stories of their use as war refuges, smugglers' hideouts, or meeting places for cults. |
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| Latin word literally meaning little place and was used in a number of senses. In architecture it is a recess large enough to receive a human corpse. Usually found in either a catacomb,hypogeum, mausoleum or other place of entombment. Loculus can also refer to an alternative name for asarcophagus. |
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| iterally means ‘refreshment’, and is the origin of the English noun ‘refrigerator’ (Webster, 1913). In ancient Rome, the word refrigerium referred specifically to a commemorative meal for the dead consumed in a graveyard. These meals were held on the day of burial, then again on the ninth day after the funeral, and annually thereafter. Early Christians continued the refrigerium ritual, by taking food to gravesites andcatacombs in honor of Christian martyrs, as well as relatives. |
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as a sumptuous ritual feast offered to Jove on the Ides of September (September 13) and a smaller feast on the Ides of November (November 13) [1]. It was celebrated during the Ludi Romani ("Roman Games") and the Ludi Plebeii ("Plebeian Games").
The gods were formally invited, and attended in the form of statues. These were arranged on luxurious couches (pulvinaria) placed at the most honorable part of the table. Fine food was served, as if they were able to eat. The priests designated as epulones, or masters of the feast, organized and carried out the ritual, and acted as "gastronomic proxies" in eating the food.
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| is, strictly speaking, a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah, as opposed to the seven-branched menorah used in the ancient Temple or as a symbol. The ninth holder, called theshadrach ("helper or servant"), is for a candle used to light all other candles. The menorah is among the most widely produced articles of Jewish ceremonial art. The menorah is a traditional symbol of Judaism, along with the Star of David.[1] |
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| s a term that has been applied to the earliest Christian places of worship, churches that existed in private homes. Archaeological research in the twentieth century has added much information about these early pre-Constantine Christian churches. |
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| Battle of the Milvian Bridge, 312 |
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Definition
| took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine Iand Maxentius on 28 October 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the path that led him to end the Tetrarchy and become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the battle. |
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| The Edict of Milan (Edictum Mediolanense) was a letter signed by emperors Constantine I and Licinius that proclaimed religious toleration in theRoman Empire. The letter was issued in AD 313, shortly after the conclusion of the Diocletianic Persecution.[1 |
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| Roman basilica was a large roofed hall erected for transacting business and disposing of legal matters. As early as the time of Augustus, a public basilica for transacting business had been part of any settlement that considered itself a city, used in the same way as the late mediaeval covered market houses of northern Europe, where the meeting room, for lack of urban space, was set above the arcades, however. Such buildings usually contained interior colonnades that divided the space, giving aisles or arcaded spaces on one or both sides, with an apse at one end (or less often at each end), where the magistrates sat, often on a slightly raised dais. The central aisle tended to be wide and was higher than the flanking aisles, so that light could penetrate through the clerestorywindows. |
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| a constructive device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. [1] The pendentives, which are triangular segments of asphere, taper to points at the bottom and spread at the top to establish the continuous circular or elliptical base needed for the dome.[2] In masonry the pendentives thus receive the weight of the dome, concentrating it at the four corners where it can be received by the piers beneath. |
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| s mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used. |
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| deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture's own religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually for religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major domestic political or religious changes. It is thus generally distinguished from the destruction by one culture of the images of another, for example by the Spanish in their American conquests |
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| he controversy was instigated by Byzantine Emperor Leo III in 726, when he ordered the destruction of icons throughout the empire. St. John of Damascus argued successfully that to prohibit the use of icons was tantamount to denying the incarnation, the presence of the Word of God in the material world. Icons reminded the church of the physicality of God as manifested in Jesus Christ. |
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| wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church. The iconostasis evolved from the Byzantine templon, a process complete by the fifteenth century. |
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| n ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using vitreous enamel, and in older periods also inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (cloisons in French[1]) to the metal object by soldering or glueing silver or gold wires or thin strips placed on their edges. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different compartments of the enamel or inlays, which are often of several colors. Cloisonné enamel objects are worked on with enamel powder made into a paste, which then needs to be fired in a kiln. |
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s a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work. The origin of the word is from Ancient Greek, and the idea originally related to Christian monks.
In the Christian tradition, males pursuing a monastic life are usually called monks or brethren (brothers), and if females nuns or sisters. Both monks and nuns may also be called monastics. Some other religions also include what could be described as "monastic" elements, most notably Buddhism, but also Hinduism and Jainism, though the expressions differ considerably.
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| denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer (e.g. an oratory) as well as the domestic quarters and workplace(s) of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone (hermits). |
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| a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming aquadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a warm southern flank,[1] usually indicates that it is (or once was) part of a monastic foundation, "forming a continuous and solid architectural barrier... that effectively separates the world of the monks from that of the serfs and workmen, whose lives and works went on outside and around the cloister. |
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is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a church usually used as a chapel or burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics |
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is a cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam.[2] The building predates Islam, and, according to Islamic tradition, the first building at the site was built byIbrahim. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram. All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are.
One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if they are able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed from above).
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| Arabic word masjid literally means a place ofprostration. The word "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller masjid dedicated for the daily five prayers and the larger masjid jāmi‘ (مسجد جامع) where the daily five prayers and the Friday congregation sermons are held with a high volume of attendence. The masjid jāmi‘ also plays more roles such as teaching Qur'an and educating future imams. |
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Definition
| semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla, or the direction of Mecca, and hence the direction Muslims should face when praying |
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| s a pulpit in the mosque where the imam (leader of prayer) stands to deliver sermon |
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| are distinctive architectural features of Islamic mosques- generally tall spires with onion-shaped or conical crowns, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure; the basic form includes a base, shaft, and gallery. Styles vary regionally and by period. They provide a visual focal point and are used for the call to prayer |
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Term
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Definition
s the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance bounded by a lintel and arch.[1] It often contains sculptures or other ornaments.[2] Most architectural styles include this element.[3]
In Greek and Christian architecture, tympana usually contained religious scenes.[4] Bands of molding surrounding the tympanum are referred to as the archivolt.[5]
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Term
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Definition
| s an ornamental molding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch.[1] It is composed of bands of ornamental moldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a rectangular opening. The word is sometimes used to refer to the under-side or inner curve of the arch itself (more properly, the intrados). |
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| A vertical element of a doorway or window frame |
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| general term describing an opening in the walls of a building, gate or fortification, and especially a grand entrance to an important structure.[1] Doors, metal gates or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of simple building materials or decorated with ornamentation. The elements of a portal can include the voussoir, tympanum, an ornamented mullion or trumeau between doors, andcolumns with carvings of saints in the westwork of a church. |
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| egional style of art from the valley of the Meuse in present-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Although the term applies to art from this region from all periods, it generally refers toRomanesque art, with Mosan Romanesque architecture, stone carving, metalwork, enamelling andmanuscript illumination reaching a high level of development during the 11th, 12th and 13th century. |
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Term
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Definition
| is an enamelling technique in the decorative arts, or an object made by that process, in which troughs or cells are carved or cast into the surface of a metal object, and filled with vitreous enamel. The piece is then fired until the enamel melts, and when cooled the surface of the object is polished. The uncarved portions of the original surface remain visible as a frame for the enamel designs; typically they are gilded in medieval work |
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