What is the nave of a building?

nave, central and principal part of a Christian church, extending from the entrance (the narthex) to the transepts

transepts

transept, the area of a cruciform church lying at right angles to the principal axis. The bay at which the transept intersects the main body of the church is called the crossing. The transept itself is sometimes simply called the cross.

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transept | architecture - Encyclopedia Britannica

(transverse aisle crossing the nave in front of the sanctuary in a cruciform church) or, in the absence of transepts, to the chancel (area around the altar).

What does the nave represent?

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.

Is the nave usually part of the elevation?

In the Early Christian basilica the nave elevation usually is composed of a nave colonnade or arcade and clerestory. a clear story, i.e. a row of windows in the upper part of a wall. In churches, the clerestory windows above the roofs of the side aisles permit direct illumination of the nave.

What is a nave roof?

A flat timber roof characteristically covered the nave until the Romanesque and Gothic eras, when stone vaulting became almost universal in the major churches of northern Europe. Medieval naves were generally divided into many bays, or compartments, producing the effect of great length by the repetition of forms.

What is a nave in a castle?

where the congregation sits (in modern times) or stood (in the medieval period). The nave is usually the largest part of a church, and may be flanked by one or more parallel aisles. In most churches the east end of the nave terminates in an arch separating it from a chancel, where the high altar stands.

A Complete Introduction to Gothic Architecture

What is an apse in architecture?

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 upper windows in a basilica called?

Early Christian and Byzantine basilicas

The nave wall is divided into three stages: the upper stage with windows is the clerestory, beneath it is the triforium, and the lowest stage is the arcade.

Where is the nave body part?

noun The navel. noun The main body, or middle part, lengthwise, of a church, extending typically from the chief entrance to the choir or chancel.

What is the difference between nave and apse?

Glossary. Aisle: A pair of walkways that are parallel to the primary public spaces in the church, e.g. nave, choir and transept. The aisles are separated from the public areas by pillars supporting the upper walls, called an arcade. Apse: The end of the building opposite the main entry.

What is the roof of a cathedral called?

These are called "transepts". There are usually two such transepts on each side of the nave, which is the main part of the building of the church or monastery. The word "nave" comes from the Latin for "narrow road", because it resembles a medieval street with its wide central area and narrow lanes leading off it.

What is the entrance to a church called?

The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar.

What crosses the nave of a church?

The most likely answer for the clue is TRANSEPT. We found more than 1 answers for It Crosses The Nave In Church.

What is aisle in architecture?

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 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 is a nave in ancient Rome?

The nave is the long narrow part of a Roman basilica or a Christian church – the part where people sit in a modern church. The word “nave” comes from the Latin word for “ship”, navis, because people in the Middle Ages thought a nave looked like the bottom part of a ship turned upside-down.

What is transept and nave?

A transept is, in Romanesque and Gothic church architecture, an area set across the nave in a cruciform building. The transept separates the nave from the sanctuary. The point where to main axis crosses the transept, known simply as the crossing, belongs to both the nave and the transept.

What do you call the inside of a cathedral?

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 is the attic of a church called?

Crypt. A crypt is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building.

What is the dome part of a church called?

Definition. An apse is a semicircular recess, often covered with a hemispherical vault. Commonly, the apse of a church, cathedral or basilica is the semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir or sanctuary, or sometimes at the end of an aisle.

What does the Latin word nave mean?

Translations. show ▼the middle or body of a church.

What are the areas of a church called?

Is nave a Scrabble word?

NAVE is a valid scrabble word.

What are the small windows near the ceiling called?

A clerestory window is a large window or series of small windows along the top of a structure's wall, usually at or near the roof line.

What are windows called near the ceiling?

Skylight: A skylight is a fixed window set into the roofline. It may incorporate venting options, but the window itself does not open. In Europe, this type of window may be called a rooflite. Roof window: A roof window actually opens usually with a pivoting awning-style mechanism.

What is the balcony of a church called?

James Mcleod. A choir, also known as a quire, is the part of a church or cathedral that seats the clergy and the church choir. In modern churches, the choir may be positioned in the center of the church, behind the altar or the pulpit.