Heritage Liturgical

glossary

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  • Abbey – Monastic complex headed by an abbot.
  • Acanthus – Spiny plant found in the Mediterranean region whose leaves are used for the Corinthian capital.
  • Acroteria – Leafy ornaments at the peaks or corners of classical pediments.
  • Adobe – Building material made of sand, mud, clay, manure, and straw.
  • Akron plan – A 19th-century combination of an auditorium-style church with Sunday school classrooms.
  • Altar – A ceremonial table for the celebration of sacrifice and feast.
  • Ambo – A church furnishing dedicated for public proclamation of scripture.
  • Ambry – A decorative receptacle for the storage of holy oils.
  • Annular vault – A circular barrel vault.
  • Apse – A semicircular, polygonal, or square termination at the east end of a church.
  • Arch – A curved structural unit made of smaller pieces that spans an opening.
  • Archivolt – Ornamental moldings on the arches of a porch.
  • Arcuation – The use of arches to connect columns in a colonnade.
  • Ark of the Covenant – A gold-covered cedar box which served as God’s throne in the Temple of Solomon.
  • Arris – The seam in a groin vault or the space between flutes on a column shaft.
  • Artifice – A particularly clever or artful solution to an architectural design problem.
  • Atlas figure – Male figures acting as columns.
  • Atrium – The open forecourt in front of a church.
  • Baldachino – A four-columned canopy over an altar; also called a baldachin, ciborium, or civory.
  • Baptistery – A building or font for baptism.
  • Barge board – A decorated board placed under a roof gable.
  • Baroque – A mode of visually dynamic classicism in art and architecture, usually associated with 17th- and 18th-century Europe and New World colonies.
  • Base – The lower components of a column beneath the shaft.
  • Basilica – Originally an emperor’s audience hall, later a large longitudinal building for worship.
  • Bellcote – An open gable tower holding bells.
  • Biforiated – Split into two parts.
  • Blind – The placement of moldings for a window, arcade, or door without openings.
  • Boss – A multisided keystone joining the ribs of a vault.
  • Bucrania – Carved ornaments appearing like oxen skulls indicating sacrifice and festivity.
  • Buttress – A projecting unit for strengthening a wall.
  • Byzantine Church – A division of Christianity, either Catholic or Orthodox, with roots in the Byzantine Empire.
  • Byzantine Empire – The eastern section of the Roman Empire, named for its capital, Byzantium.
  • Came – The grooved lead strip holding pieces of stained glass together.
  • Campanile – A bell tower, often freestanding.
  • Capital – The upper part or head of a column.
  • Caryatid – Columns taking the form of women.
  • Cast stone – Fine concrete used to imitate stone.
  • Catacomb – Underground burial vaults in Rome used by Christians.
  • Cathedra – The chair representing the authority of the office of bishop.
  • Cathedral – The church which contains the cathedra.
  • Centering – Wooden formwork used to construct arches.
  • Chalice – The ornamented cup used for the Eucharist.
  • Chapel – A smaller church or section of a church.
  • Chimera – A carved figure on a church, often in the form of a monster.
  • Choir – An interior chapel or area used for liturgical song.
  • Christ – Name for Jesus meaning “anointed one.”
  • Clapboard – Overlapping wooden boards used for siding.
  • Classical – A method of design from ancient Greece and Rome, seeking harmony and symbolism.
  • Clerestory – The level of upper windows in the central nave of a basilica.
  • Cloisonné – The use of molten glass as enamel to decorate metal objects.
  • Cloister – The enclosed courtyard of a monastic building complex.
  • Coffer – Ornamented recessed panels, usually in a ceiling.
  • Colonnade – A row of columns.
  • Colonnettes – Small columns typically found in medieval architecture.
  • Composite Order – A column type combining volutes and Corinthian leaves.
  • Compound pier – A large support composed of smaller vertical members.
  • Concatenation – The chain-like arrangement of elements.
  • Concrete – A building material made of cement and small stones.
  • Confessio – A tomb chapel beneath an altar.
  • Corbel – A component projecting from a wall to support members above.
  • Corinthian – A column type with a capital covered in acanthus leaves.
  • Cosmatesque – Elaborate decoration composed of small stone pieces.
  • Crenellation – A row of high and low battlements at a roofline.
  • Crocket – A projecting ornament of bent foliage.
  • Crossing tower – The tower over the crossing of a church.
  • Cruciform plan – Designed in the shape of a cross.
  • Crypt – The underground section of a church.
  • Cubit – Ancient unit of measure based on the forearm length.
  • Diapering – A repeating pattern of similar units.
  • Doric – A stout, simple column type with a round capital.
  • Dormer window – A small attic window projecting from a roof.
  • Dormition – The “falling asleep” of the Virgin Mary.
  • Drip molding – A projecting molding that sheds water.
  • Drum – A cylindrical section often under a dome.
  • Early Christian – The first three centuries of Christianity.
  • Egg and dart – An ornamental molding alternating darts and egg shapes.
  • Eighth day – Symbolic name for heavenly eternity.
  • Elevation – A vertical face of a building.
  • Entablature – The horizontal beam atop classical columns.
  • Façade – An exterior elevation of a building.
  • Flamboyant – A flame-like decorative Gothic style.
  • Flying buttress – An external structure with a connecting arch for wall support.
  • Font – A vessel for baptismal water.
  • Gallery – An upper interior level for passage or viewing.
  • Garden of Eden – The paradise symbolizing unfallen humanity.
  • Gargoyle – A carved waterspout figure on a church.
  • Gematria – The conversion of letters into numbers.
  • Geometric – The use of mathematical order in Christian symbolism.
  • Gothic Revival – 19th–20th century revival of medieval forms.
  • Gothic – Medieval variant of classical architecture with pointed arches and vaulting.
  • Greek cross – A cross with equal-length arms.
  • Green Man – A foliate face ornament.
  • Grisaille – Monochromatic painting technique.
  • Groin vault – The intersection of two barrel vaults.
  • Halo – A circle around a saint’s head indicating holiness.
  • Heavenly Jerusalem – Biblical term for heaven as a radiant city.
  • High altar – The principal altar in a church.
  • Iconostasis – Icon screen dividing nave and sanctuary in Orthodox churches.
  • Intercolumniation – The spacing of columns.
  • Ionic – A column type with scroll-shaped volutes.
  • Jack arch – A flat arch.
  • Jamb figure – Sculptures located beside doorways.
  • Jordan River – Site of Jesus’s baptism.
  • Keystone – The central top stone in an arch.
  • Lady chapel – A chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
  • Lancet – A narrow pointed window.
  • Lantern – A tower allowing light into a building.
  • Lectern – A stand for reading or singing.
  • Liturgy – The ritual of public worship.
  • Load bearing – Structural components that carry weight.
  • Lunette – A half-moon shaped space, often over a doorway.
  • Mandorla – An almond-shaped radiant body surrounding a holy figure.
  • Martyrium – A structure built over a martyr’s tomb.
  • Metaphor – A symbol in one form that points to a deeper spiritual meaning.
  • Metope – The square area between triglyphs on a Doric frieze.
  • Middle Ages – The period from the 4th century to the 15th century in European history.
  • Minaret – A slender tower for Islamic calls to prayer.
  • Modillions – Ornamental brackets under a cornice.
  • Monastery – A building where monks or nuns live and work.
  • Monstrance – A vessel used to display the consecrated Eucharistic host.
  • Mosaic – A decorative surface of small colored pieces of glass or stone.
  • Mullion – A vertical element dividing windows.
  • Mural – A painting on a wall.
  • Narthex – The entrance or vestibule of a church.
  • Nave – The central aisle of a basilica.
  • Neo-Byzantine – A revival of Byzantine styles, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries.
  • Neo-Classical – A revival of classical styles from Greece and Rome.
  • Neo-Gothic – Another term for Gothic Revival.
  • Niche – A shallow recess in a wall, often for a statue.
  • Nimbus – Another term for halo.
  • Northex – An alternate spelling of narthex.
  • Notre-Dame – French for “Our Lady,” often referring to the Virgin Mary.
  • Octagonal – Eight-sided.
  • Oculus – A round window or opening, often in a dome.
  • Onion dome – A bulbous, dome-like roof typical of Russian architecture.
  • Oratory – A small chapel for private worship.
  • Orders – Architectural styles defined by column and entablature proportions.
  • Organ – A large musical instrument often used in churches.
  • Orthodox Church – The Eastern Christian churches in communion with the Patriarch of Constantinople.
  • Palmette – A decorative motif resembling a palm leaf.
  • Parapet – A low protective wall along the edge of a roof or balcony.
  • Paten – A small plate for the Eucharistic bread.
  • Pediment – A triangular gable found over classical structures.
  • Pentecost – The day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles.
  • Peristyle – A colonnade surrounding a building or courtyard.
  • Pew – A bench with a back, used for seating in churches.
  • Pier – A vertical support, often more massive than a column.
  • Pilaster – A rectangular column projecting from a wall.
  • Pinnacle – A pointed ornament at the top of a buttress or gable.
  • Piscina – A basin for washing sacred vessels.
  • Plinth – The base of a column or statue.
  • Pointed arch – An arch with a pointed apex, typical of Gothic architecture.
  • Polyptych – A multi-paneled altarpiece.
  • Portico – A porch with a roof supported by columns.
  • Post and lintel – A construction method using vertical posts and horizontal beams.
  • Presbytery – The area around the altar, reserved for clergy.
  • Processional cross – A cross carried at the head of a procession.
  • Prothesis – A side chamber of a church for preparing the Eucharist.
  • Pulpit – A raised platform for preaching.
  • Purlin – A horizontal roof beam.
  • Quatrefoil – A decorative element with four lobes.
  • Rafter – A sloped beam supporting a roof.
  • Reliquary – A container for holy relics.
  • Reredos – A decorative screen or wall behind the altar.
  • Rib vault – A vault with projecting ribs.
  • Rose window – A large circular stained-glass window.
  • Rotunda – A round building or room, often under a dome.
  • Sacristy – A room for storing vestments and sacred vessels.
  • Sanctuary – The sacred area around the altar.
  • Sarcophagus – A stone coffin.
  • Scallop shell – A symbol of pilgrimage and baptism.
  • Screen – A partition separating parts of a church.
  • Scroll – A spiraled ornament, especially in Ionic capitals.
  • Section – A vertical cut through a structure to show interior features.
  • Side aisle – The aisles flanking the nave of a basilica.
  • Soffit – The underside of an architectural element.
  • Spandrel – The space between arches or between an arch and a rectangular frame.
  • Spire – A tapering conical or pyramidal structure on a tower.
  • Stained glass – Colored glass used in windows, often depicting biblical scenes.
  • Stave church – A wooden church built with post and lintel construction, common in medieval Scandinavia.
  • Steeple – A tower on a church, often topped with a spire.
  • Stoa – A covered walkway or portico, common in Greek architecture.
  • Strainer arch – A horizontal arch across a nave or chancel to counter thrust.
  • Stringcourse – A horizontal band of masonry.
  • Tabernacle – A secure receptacle for the Eucharist.
  • Tempera – A painting medium using egg yolk.
  • Templon – A barrier dividing the nave and sanctuary in early churches.
  • Thurible – A censer used for burning incense.
  • Tomb – A structure for housing the dead.
  • Tracery – Stonework elements supporting stained glass.
  • Transept – The arms of a cruciform church.
  • Transom – A horizontal beam above a door or window.
  • Triforium – A shallow gallery above the nave arcade.
  • Trumeau – The central pillar supporting a tympanum in a doorway.
  • Tympanum – The decorative space over a doorway enclosed by an arch.
  • Vault – An arched ceiling or roof.
  • Vesica piscis – A pointed oval shape formed by intersecting circles; symbolizes Christ.
  • Vestibule – An entryway or small room leading into a larger space.
  • Vestments – Liturgical garments worn by clergy.
  • Voussoir – A wedge-shaped stone forming part of an arch.
  • Westwork – The monumental western front of a church.
  • Ziggurat – A stepped temple tower from ancient Mesopotamia.
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