Aisle, portion of a church or basilica that parallels or encircles the major sections of the structure, such as the nave, choir, or apse (aisles around the apse are usually called ambulatories). … The aisle is often set off by columns or by an arcade.
What is the apse in a church?
Apse, in architecture, a semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir, chancel, or aisle of a secular or ecclesiastical building. First used in pre-Christian Roman architecture, the apse often functioned as an enlarged niche to hold the statue of a deity in a temple.
What are the parts of a cathedral called?
The typical cathedral contains a narthex at the entrance, three aisles with the central being the nave, a transept that gives the church its cross shape, an open choir where the nave and transept meet, and an apse at the far end of the nave, containing the altar.
What does the nave represent?
Nave: this is the large central aisle in the middle of western end of the church, this is where people usually sit during a service. The word nave comes from the Latin ‘navis’ meaning ship. This is important as it symbolically refers to Christian teachings such as Noah’s Ark, and the passage of Christians through life.
Where is the apse?
The apse is generally placed at the head of the cross, located at the end of the building opposite to the main doors. In many cases, the apse and altar are located on the eastern end of the church.
What are the main parts of a church?
The names for the parts of the church are in red after each number.
- Narthex.
- Façade towers.
- Nave.
- Aisles.
- Transept.
- Crossing.
- Altar.
- Apse.
What are the two basic church plans?
Two Basic Plans
The two basic types of church plan, axial and central, were both established during the fourth century. Although these forms were modified in subsequent centuries as Christianity became established throughout Europe, the main parts were determined at this time.
What are the 3 parts of the church?
Churches Militant, Penitent, and Triumphant.
What is the east end of a church called?
The east end is where the altar is placed, often within an apse. The façade and main entrance are accordingly at the west end. The opposite arrangement, in which the church is entered from the east and the sanctuary is at the other end, is called occidentation.
What are the three basic elements of the Gothic style?
The pointed arch, rib vault and flying buttress are three of the main features of Gothic architecture.
What is the area behind the altar called?
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building.
What does nave mean in the Bible?
The term nave is from navis, the Latin word for ship, an early Christian symbol of the Church as a whole, with a possible connection to the “Ship of St. Peter” or the Ark of Noah. The term may also have been suggested by the keel shape of the vaulting of a church.
What is the room where Mass is held called?
For the most part, it is occupied by the priest and those participating in Mass, but it is often used by the congregation to pray or to take communion. The word “sanctuary” means a sacred place and is often used as a word for the holiest places of worship, even within a house of worship itself.
What does an apse look like?
An apse is a semicircular recess, often covered with a hemispherical vault. … Smaller apses are sometimes built in locations other than the east end, especially for reliquaries or shrines of saints.
What is the definition of Basilica?
Basilica, in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, a canonical title of honour given to church buildings that are distinguished either by their antiquity or by their role as international centres of worship because of their association with a major saint, an important historical event, or, in the Orthodox …
Where was the altar usually located in Gothic churches?
In later Gothic churches, we sometimes see yet another level below the clerestory, called the triforium. The nave was used for the procession of the clergy to the altar. The main altar was basically in the position of the apse in the ancient Roman basilica, although in some designs it is further forward.