A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – L – M – N – O – P – R – S – T – V – W
English Term |
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Explanation | Example |
A |
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Abacus | Abakus | Flat slab, which forms the top of a capital on a column or pilaster |
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Abbey | Abtei | Ecclesiastical dwelling, church, for the use of nuns or monks and presided over by an abbess or abbot |
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Acanthus | Akanthus | Classical formalized leaf ornament, representing the leaf of Acanthus spinosus, found on the lower parts of Corinthian and Composite capitals, also used as enrichment in Classical architecture |
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Acroterium | Akroterion | A pedestal for a sculpture or ornament at the apex or at each of the lower corners of a pediment |
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Ad quadratum | Gebundenes System | Design based on the geometry of the square |
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Aisle | Seitenschiff | Subsidiary space alongside the body of a building, separated from it by columns, piers or posts |
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Aisleless church / Single-nave(d) church | Saalkirche | Church with an undivided nave |
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Altar | Altar | Flat-topped wooden or stone table for the eucharist |
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Altar bread | Hostie | Consecrated wafer used for the Eucharist |
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Altar frontal | Antependium / Parament | Richly decorated material which covers the front of the altar |
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Altar rails | Altarschranken | Structure with gates, usually across the chancel in front of the altar. Sometimes the rails enclose the altar on three or four sides. They date from Elizabethan times and became popular in the 17th century as an alternative to chancel screens |
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Altarpiece |
See:
Reredos
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Ambo | Ambo | Raised platform or pulpit |
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Ambulatory | Chorumgang / Ambulatorium | Semicircular or polygonal aisle enclosing an apse |
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Anabaptists | Täufer / Wiedertäufer | Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation, Anabaptists believe that baptism is valid only when the candidate confesses his or her faith in Christ and wants to be baptized. Today the Mennonites are Anabaptists |
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Apex stone | Schlussstein | Top stone in a gable end |
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Apse | Apsis | Semicircular or polygonal end of a chancel or chapel |
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Apse tower | Chorturm | Tower over the apse |
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Arcade | Arkade | Range of arches supported on piers or columns, free-standing; or, blind arcade, the same attached to the wall |
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Architrave | Architrav | Main beam resting on the uppermost member of a capital or the moulding arches, doorways or windows |
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Archivolt | Archivolte | Decorative moulding, which follows the contour of an arch face impost to impost |
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Arma Christi | Leidenswerkzeuge | Images that depict the various instruments and weapons that wounded or otherwise offended Christ during the Passion and Crucifixion |
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Ashlar | Werkstein | A squared building stone finely dressed on all faces adjacent to those to other stones so as to permit thin mortar joints |
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Atrium / Paradise | Atrium / Paradies | Covered colonnade before the door of a church |
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Auditory church | Predigtkirche | A one room design, in which altar and pulpit are both visible; in Lutheranism altar, pulpit and font (“Prinzipalstücke” [principal pieces]) are gathered in front of the congregation |
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B |
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Ban on images | Bilderverbot | The Bible, Ex 20,4-5 (KJV): Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: |
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Baptistery | Baptisterium | Separate building, specifically designed for baptism |
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Bargeboard / Vergeboard | Ortgang | Board, often carved, attached to the projecting end of a gable roof |
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Barrel vault | Tonnengewölbe | A vault having a semicircular cross section |
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Basilica | Basilika | Aisled church with a clerestory built on a double colonnade and apse plan |
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Bay | Joch | Internal compartments of a building; each divided from the other not by solid walls but by division only marked in the side walls (columns, pilatsters, etc) or the ceiling (beams, etc) |
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Blind arcade | Blendarkade | A series of arches superimposed on a wall for decoration |
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Blind arch | Blendbogen | Arches attached to a wall in order to strengthen or decorate it |
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Block capital / Cushion capital | Würfelkapitell | Romanesque capital cut from a cube by having the lower angles rounded off to the circular shaft below |
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Book of Revelation | Offenbarung des Johannes | Apocalypse (of John) is the last book of the New Testament |
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Box pews | Kastengestühl | Seats for the congregation like tall wooden boxes with doors to them |
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Brick | Backstein / Ziegel | A masonry unit of clay, formed into a rectangular prism while plastic and hardened by drying in the sun or firing in a kiln |
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Bulbous dome | Welsche Haube | A sort of onion dome |
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C |
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Calvary / Golgotha | Kalvarienberg / Golgot(h)a | (Lat. Place of a skull, hebr. Golgotha), site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was crucified, also burial place of Adam's skull; depiction of Christ on the cross usually with other figures like Mary and John |
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Campanile | Campanile | Isolated bell tower, separate or partially so from the main body of the church |
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Capital | Kapitell | Head or top part of a column or pilaster which supports archings or vaulting ribs |
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Carillon | Carillon | A set of bells, often in a bell tower, sometimes operated by means of a keyboard (manual or pedal), originating from the Low Countries. A tune adapted to be played by musical bells. |
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Catechesis | Katechese | Instruction of catechumens (people receiving instruction in the basic doctrines of Christianity before baptism) |
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Cathedra | Cathedra | Seat/throne of a bishop |
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Cathedral | Kathedrale / Dom / Münster | The principal church of a diocese, containing the bishop’s throne called the cathedra |
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Centrally-planned building / Drum | Zentralbau | Building arranged around a central point (an octogonal, circular or squared structure for example), as opposed to an axial plan (basilica) |
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Chancel / Sanctuary | Altarhaus / Sanktuarium | Part of a church, in which the altar is placed, east of the main altar rails |
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Chantry | Stiftung(-skapelle) | A chapel endowed for the saying of Masses and prayers for the souls of the founders or the persons named by them |
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Chapel | Kapelle | A separately dedicated part of a church for private prayer or small religious services |
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Chapter | Kapitel | An assembly of the monks in a monastery, or the members of a religious house or order |
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Chapter house | Kapitelsaal / Kapitelhaus | The place where the chapter of a cathedral or monastery meets; in British cathedrals often as a separate building, which is joined to the transept or the cloister by a covered passage (slype) |
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Charnel house | Beinhaus | Crypt, vault or cellar, in which are piled bones removed from the churchyard |
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Chevet | Chorhaupt | East end of the church (with chapels radiating from it), apse |
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Choir | Chor | Section of the church occupied by the choristers and the clergy. This is usually the eastern arm of the building, and for this reason a section of the chancel is sometimes called the choir even when it is not strictly used for that purpose |
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Choir screen | Chorschranke | Screen (as of ornamental woodwork or wrought iron) enclosing the choir |
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Choir stalls | Chorgestühl | Seats of the clergy in a choir running east-west, wholly or partly enclosed on the back and sides |
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Christ of the Protective Mantle | Schutzmantelchristus | Rare depiction of Jesus Christ with a protective mantle in the style of a “Virgin of Mercy” |
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Ciborium | Ziborium / Ciborium | 1. A vessel, normally in metal. It was originally a particular shape of drinking cup in Ancient Greece and Rome, but later used to refer to a large covered cup designed to hold hosts for, and after, the Eucharist, thus the counterpart (for the bread) of the chalice (for the wine). 2. In ecclesiastical architecture, a ciborium (“ciborion”: κιβώριον in Greek) is a canopy or covering supported by columns, freestanding in the sanctuary, that stands over and covers the altar in a basilica or other church. |
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Clas | Clas | A clas church (Welsh pl. clasau) was a native Christian church in pre-Norman Wales. Clasau were autonomous and were administered locally. |
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Clerestory | Obergaden / Gaden / Lichtgaden | An upper storey, standing clear of its adjacent roofs, and pierced with windows which usually correspond in number with the number of arches or bays in the arcade below |
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Cloister | Kreuzgang | An enclosed quadrangle in a monastery or by a church, surrounded by covered passages; cloister garth is the area enclosed by a closter |
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Cloister garth | Klostergarten |
See:
Garth
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Close | Domfreiheit | An enclosed place, esp. the land surrounding or beside a cathedral |
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Collegiate church | Stiftskirche | A church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic or “secular” community of clergy |
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Commandment Boards | Dekalogtafeln | Tablets bearing the Ten Commandments |
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Communion table | Abendmahlstisch | In Protestant churches table used for the Lord's Supper |
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Concrete | Beton | Building material composed of cement (manufactured powder made from limestone and clay), aggregate (mixture of mineral substances, e. g. sand or gravel) and water in varying proportion according to use; when mixed together the material hardens to a rock-like consistency |
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Confessional (box) | Beichtstuhl | A box, cabinet, or stall in which the priest sits to hear the confessions of penitents |
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Consecration | Weihe | The act of moving a place, object or person to the divine realm (see “Fanum”). |
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Consecration cross | Weihekreuz | Cross that marks the places of consecration |
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Console | Konsole | Structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight; a corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the structure |
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Convent / Nunnery | Nonnenkloster | Building or group of buildings in which nuns (= religious women) live and worship; see also monastery. |
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Cornice / Moulding | Gesims | An continuous, molded projection that crowns the wall or other construction, or divides it horizontally for compositional purposes |
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Counterfort | Strebepfeiler | Buttress or other projection built against a wall in order to prevent it from moving or bulging |
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Crescent Madonna | Mondsichelmadonna | Depiction of the Madonna on the crescent, upon her head a crown of twelve stars, based on the vision of John the Evangelist in chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation |
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Crocket | Krabbe | A projecting ornament, usually in the form of curved foliage, used to decorate the outer angles of pinnacles, spires, and gables |
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Cross-in-square | Quincunx | A typical Byzantine church plan having nine bays. The center bay is a large square surmounted by a dome; the smaller square corner bays are domed or vaulted. |
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Crossing | Vierung | Area formed by the intersection of transepts, chancel and nave |
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Crucifix | Kreuz |
See:
Rood
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Crypt | Krypta | (Half-)underground area, usually below the east end of a church; ring crypt: corridor crypt surrounding the apse of an early medieval church, often associated with chambers for relics |
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Cushion capital |
See:
Block capital
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D |
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Deconsecration | Entwidmung | The act of withdrawing a church from its use as place for services (in the Roman Catholic church the inverse liturgical act to the consecration); thereafter, the building may be demolished or used for other purposes. |
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Deisis | Deesis | A representation of Christ seated, with Mary on his right and the Baptist on his left, with their hands outstretched, interceding for the human race |
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Diocese | Diözese / Bistum | The area that is controlled by a bishop |
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Dome | Kuppel | Hemispherical structure evolved from the arch, usually forming a ceiling or roof |
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Dormition | Dormitio | Picture of the dying Virgin Mary surrounded by the apostles |
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Dormitory | Dormitorium | Room for sleeping |
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Dosseret | Kämpferblock |
See:
Impost block
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Drum |
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E |
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Epistle side | Epistelseite | The side of a church on which the Epistle is read during the Mass or Eucharist. It is the right-hand side of the altar as viewed by the congregation from the nave, traditionally reserved for men; opposed to the Gospel side |
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Eucharist | Eucharistie | Lord's Supper |
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Evangelists’ symbols | Evangelistensymbole | The four evangelists, who are considered the authors of the four gospels in the New Testament, are represented by winged symbols since the 4th century: man (Matthew), lion (Mark), ox (Luke) and eagle (John). |
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Exonarthex | Exonarthex | Outer part of a doubled narthex. The inner part is called esonarthex |
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F |
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Fan vault(ing) | Fächergewölbe | Trumpet-shaped, inverted semicones of masonry in fan-like shapes, enriched by tracery and springing from one springer equally in all directions; especially Perpendicular Period |
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Fanum | Fanum | Latin for “holy place”, pro-fanum is the place in front of the holy place |
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Finial | Kreuzblume / Firstblume / Giebelblume | A small, usually foliated ornament terminating the peak of a spire or pinnacle |
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Flint | Feuerstein | Variety of chert (cryptocrystalline silica), which occurs commonly as nodules and bands in chalk |
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Flowing tracery | Flamboyant | Waving or flame-shaped curves that is found in English architecture of the 14th century and in the French flamboyant |
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Fluting | Kannelierung | Fluted columns have long vertical grooves that go down the column |
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Flèche |
See:
Ridge turret
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Folding altar |
See:
Winged retable
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Foliate head / Green man | Blattmaske / Grüner Mann | An ornamental motif common in sculpture and woodcarvings in churches from the Norman and Gothic periods: a male head with leafy sprays growing from its mouth and/or eyes, or partially covered by leaves, like a man peering out from a bush – a touch of persistent Paganism in Christian art |
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Font | Taufbecken | A basin containing water used in baptism |
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Formeret | Schildbogen | Wall rib in a roof vaulted with ribs |
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Fortified church | Wehrkirche | A church constructed for the purpose of defence or shelter |
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Forward-breaking cornice | Verkröpfung | A cornice that runs around a forward-breaking part of the wall, e. g. a pilaster. |
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Fourteen holy helpers / Holy Helpers, fourteen | Vierzehn Nothelfer / Nothelfer, vierzehn | A group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases |
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Frieze | Fries | A decorative band, as one along the top of an interior wall, or a sculptured one in a stringcourse on an outside wall |
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G |
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Gable | Giebel | The triangular portion of a wall enclosing the end of a pitched roof from cornice or eaves to ridge |
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Galilee | Galilaea |
See:
Narthex
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Gallery | Empore / Altane | A roofed promenade, esp. one extending inside or outside along the exterior wall of a building |
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Gargoyle | Wasserspeier / Gargoyle | A grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal, esp. with an open mouth that serves as a spout and projects from a gutter to throw rainwater clear of a building |
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Garth / Cloister garth | Klosterhof / Klostergarten | Also cloister garth, a courtyard or quadrangle enclosed by a cloister |
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Golgotha | Golgot(h)a |
See:
Calvary
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Gospel side | Evangelienseite | The side of the church, where the Gospel is read. Facing the altar from the nave, it is the left-hand side, traditionally reserved for women; opposed to the Epistle side |
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Granite | Granit | Usually light-coloured, coarse-grained igneous rock, consisting of essential quartz, alkali feldspar and mica; can be formed by partial melting of old continental crust, by fractional crystallisation of basalt magma, or by a combination of these processes |
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Green man | Grüner Mann |
See:
Foliate head
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Grisaille | Grisaille | A method of painting in grey monochrome, typically to imitate sculpture. |
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H |
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Hagioscope / Squint | Hagioskop | Hole cut in a wall or through a pier to allow a view of the main altar from places whence it could not otherwise be seen |
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Hall church | Hallenkirche | Building in which the main body and the aisles of the church are of about equal height |
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Halo | Heiligenschein / Nimbus | A circular decoration around the head of a figure to denote holiness |
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Hermitage | Klause | The dwelling of a hermit |
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High altar | Hochaltar | Principal altar of a church, in which there are more than one |
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Hip knob | Knauf | Element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature, e. g. a finial |
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Holy Helpers, fourteen | Nothelfer, vierzehn |
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Holy Mass | Messopfer | Eucharistic liturgical/Divine service |
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I |
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Icon | Ikone | Panel-paintings of Christ and the saints, which are the most obvious expression of Orthodox piety |
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Iconostasis | Ikonostase | Screen holding tiers of icons separating the sanctaury from the body of the church, pierced by three doors. Behind the central Royal Doors (two half-doors) the Eucharist is celebrated. On the right of the Royal Doors is an icon of Christ and on the left one of the Virgin. Other icons are arranged in strict order, always including the Baptist, the patron of the church, a Deisis (Christ seated with the Madonna on his right and the Baptist on his left) placed immediately above the Royal Doors, and some scenes commemorating the feasts of the church. |
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Impost | Kämpfer | The uppermost part of an abutment, often in the form of a block, capital or molding, from which an arch springs |
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Impost block / Dosseret | Kämpferaufsatz / Kämpferblock | A thickened abacus or supplementary capital set above a column capital to receive the thrust of an arch |
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Interlacing/Intersecting arcade | Kreuzbogen(-fries) | An arcade, esp. a blind one, composed of arches resting on alternate supports and overlapping in series where they cross |
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L |
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Lady chapel | Marienkapelle | A chapel dedicated to the virgin Mary, usually located behind the high altar of a cathedral |
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Lantern | Laterne | Construction placed on top of a building to admit light and allow smoke to escape; in Renaissance and Baroque architecture the small cupola-like structure, usually with decorative arcades, mounted on top of a dome |
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Lesene / Pilaster strip | Lisene | Narrow, low-relief, vertical pillar in a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital |
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Limestone | Kalkstein | Sedimentary type of rock composed mainly of calcite (usually colourless or white, but maybe shades of other colours) and/or dolomite (usually white or colourless, but can be yellowish or brown), which is often of organic, chemical or detrital origin |
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Lutheran rose | Lutherrose | Seal designed for Martin Luther, symbol for Lutheranism |
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M |
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Mandorla | Mandorla | (Ital. almond), an aureola, or frame, in the shape of an almond, which surrounds figures (usually Christ), distinguished from a halo in that it encircles the entire body, and not just the head |
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Manual | Manual | Keyboard |
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Marble | Marmor | Non-foliated, metamorphosed limestone, which is produced by recrystallisation and is hard enough to take a polish. The hardest and most attractive marbles have been used in statuary and for building since antiquity and are still quarried, e. g. from the Carrara quarry. |
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Martyrium | Martyrium / Coemeterialkirche / Memoria | An edifice erected over the tomb of a martyr |
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Mendicant orders | Bettelorden | Christian religious orders that have adopted a lifestyle of poverty, traveling, and living in urban areas for purposes of preaching, evangelism, and ministry, especially to the poor. |
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Minor basilica | Basilica Minor | (Latin: Basilica minor, Basilicæ minores in plural) a title given to some Roman Catholic church buildings (not related to the building type “basilica”). The authorising decree is granted by the Pope through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. |
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Misericord | Miserikordie | Carved bracket, which supports a hinged seat when it is turned up for use (a feature of choir stalls) |
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Monastery | Kloster | Building or group of buildings in which monks (= religious men) live and worship; see also convent/nunnery. |
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Mosaic | Mosaik | A pattern or picture made using many small pieces of coloured stone or glass |
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Mouchette | Fischblase / Schneuß | A daggerlike motif found especially in 14th cent. Gothic tracery, formed by elliptical and ogee curves so that it is pointed at one end and circular at the other. |
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Moulding |
See:
Cornice
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N |
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Narthex / Galilee | Narthex / Galilaea / Vorkirche | A chamber, porch or separated area, usually at the West end/the main entrance of a church; used as a chapel for penitents |
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Nave | Schiff / Kirchenschiff / Langhaus | Main body or the Western arm of the church in which the congregation is housed during services. Comprises the area between the chancel and the west end, often flanked by aisles |
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Nunnery |
See:
Convent
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O |
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Onion dome | Zwiebeldach | A bulbous, domelike roof terminating in a sharp point to cover a cupola or tower |
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Openwork gablet | Wimperg | Gable-shaped motif above gothic portals or windows, often containing tracery and framed by crockets and pinnacles |
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Order | Säulenordnung | Style of classical architecture (Doric, Ionic or Corinthian in Greek architecture, additionally Tuscan or Composite in Roman architecture), characterized by the type and arrangement of columns and entablatures employed |
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Organ | Orgel | Keyboard instrument in which sets of pipes are sounded by compressed air and produce a variety of timbres |
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Orientation | Ostung | The position of a building on a site in relation to points on the compass (church buildings are often orientated to face East) |
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Our lady of Sorrows | Mater Dolorosa | Mary portrayed in a sorrowful and lacrimating affect, with seven long knives or daggers piercing her heart, often bleeding |
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P |
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Pantocrator | Pantokrator | Almighty, Christ on the throne |
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Paradise | Paradies |
See:
Atrium
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Patrocinium / Patronage | Patrozinium | In the Roman-Catholic tradition the guardian tutelage of a saint for a certain church or place; also used as the term for the feast or day of commemoration of the patron saint |
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Patron saint / Titular saint | Namenspatron | A person to whom a church is dedicated, esp. a saint who is believed to protect it |
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Patronage |
See:
Patrocinium
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Pedalboard | Pedal | Keyboard designed to be played by the feet |
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Pedestal | Piedestal / Postament | Base on which something such as a statue stands |
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Pietà | Pietà | A representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the dead body of Christ |
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Pilaster | Pilaster | Shallow pier attached to a wall |
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Pilaster strip |
See:
Lesene
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Pinnacle | Fiale / Pinakel | Ornamental form crowning a spire, tower, buttress, etc, usually of steep pyramidal, conical or similar shape |
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Piscina | Piscina / Waschbecken | A stone basin near the altar in Catholic and pre-Reformation churches for draining water used in the Mass. |
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Plinth | Plinthe | Usually square block serving as a base |
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Porch | Vorhalle | Covered entrance built against the outside wall of the church to protect the south doorway; see also “atrium” |
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Portico | Portikus | Colonnade or covered ambulatory especially in classical architecture and often at the entrance of a building |
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Predella | Predella | Horizontally oriented, painted panel forming the lowest element of an reredos |
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Presbytery | Presbyterium | 1. Area reserved for the clergy and usually to be found beyond the choir at the east end of the church (see sanctuary) 2. Parish council |
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Presbytery bench | Ältestenbank | Seats or bench for the members of the presbytery or parish council near the eucharist table |
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Principal liturgical items | Prinzipalstücke | Main liturgical items: altar, ambo, pulpit, font |
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Pro-fanum | Pro-Fanum | Latin for “profane” |
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Proclamation of God's word | Wortverkündigung | Sermon, preaching |
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Proprietary church | Eigenkirche | A church built on private ground and owned by its lord, over which he retained the right of nominating the priest (advowson) |
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Pulpit | Kanzel | Raised, fronted platform reached by steps and used by the preacher as a podium from which to deliver his sermons |
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Pulpit-altar | Kanzelaltar | Combination of pulpit and altar |
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Putto | Putto | Figure depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged |
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R |
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Rank | Register | Set of pipes of similar construction, arranged on a windchest so that there is one pipe for each note of the keyboard which sounds the pipes |
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Refectory | Refektorium | Dining hall |
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Relic | Reliquie | An object esteemed and venerated because of its association with a saint or martyr (often stored in a specially created shrine) |
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Relief | Relief | Mode of sculpture in which forms and figures are distinguished from a surrounding plane surface |
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Reredos / Retable / Altarpiece | Altaraufsatz / Altarretabel | Painted and/or sculpted screen behind and above an altar |
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Respond | Dienst | Pier or pilaster projecting from a wall as a support for an arch or lintel |
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Retable | Altarretabel |
See:
Reredos
|
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Retrochoir | Scheitelkapelle | A separate division behind a choir or high altar of a large church, often dedicated to St Mary (Lady Chapel) |
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Ridge turret / Flèche | Dachreiter | A turret or small tower constructed over the ridge between the sloping roofs of a building, usually built for housing a clock or a bell |
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Ring-crypt | Ringkrypta | (Semi-)circular crypt as a subterranean passage around a tomb of a saint |
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Rood / Crucifix | Kruzifix / Kreuz | A crucifix symbolizing the cross on which Jesus was crucified, esp. a large one set above the entrance to the choir or chancel |
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Rood screen | Lettner | Before the reformation, all churches were separated into two – the chancel for the clergy, the nave for the people – by a wooden, carved screen, with secure door, under the chancel arch. Immediately above, sometimes included in the screen’s construction, was the rood beam, which supported a loft or platform, on which were placed a great Crucifix or rood, with images of the Virgin and St John on either side. This loft was approached by a staircase let into the wall (rood stairs). At the Reformation, the rood and its images were almost universally torn down |
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Rose window / Wheel window | Rosenfenster / Radfenster | Circular window in Gothic architecture |
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Rubble masonry | Bruchsteinmauerwerk | Rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses |
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S |
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Sacrament | Sakrament | A Christian rite that is a means of divine grace or a sign of a spiritual reality |
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Sanctuary | Sanktuarium |
See:
Chancel
|
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Sandstone | Sandstein | A hard sedimentary rock formed by the weathering, erosion and accumulation of ‘sand-sized’ fragments from any pre-existing rock-type. Sand accumulations principally form as windblown desert dunes, coastal beaches or the beds of rivers and streams. Geologically, sand includes all particles between 0.063 mm and 2 mm in size. Over time, such sand deposits become gradually buried, compacted and cemented to form the sandstone beds quarried today. The term sandstone provides no indication of the mineralogical composition of the rock. Airborne pollutants, acidic or alkaline pore waters can enlarge, damage or block pore systems and cause the disfiguring precipitation of gypsum and other mineral cements on stone surfaces. |
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Sculpture | Skulptur | Art of forming solid objects that represent a thing, person, idea, etc. out of a material such as wood, clay, metal, or stone, or an object made in this way |
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Sedes sapientiae | Sedes Sapientiae | (Lat. Seat/Throne of Wisdom), depiction of Mary and Jesus, which compares Mary to the throne of Solomon; she becomes the bearer of the incarnation of Solomon's wisdom (Jesus) |
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Sedilia | Sedilien | Seats, often in the chancel, for use during Mass for the officiating priest and his assistants, inter alia the deacon and sub-deacon. |
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Side apse | Nebenapsis / Seitenapsis | Apsidiole; smaller or secondary apse, usually the east end of an aisle |
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Single-nave(d) church |
See:
Aisleless church
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Slip |
See:
Slype
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Slype / Slip | Stichgang | A covered passage, esp. one between the transept and the chapter house of a cathedral |
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Sounding board / Tester | Schalldeckel | Horizontal canopy above a pulpit |
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Spire | Spitze des Turmhelms | A tall, tapering, pyramidal structure surmounting a steeple or tower |
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Spring / Springing | Kämpferlinie | The point at which an arch, vault, or dome rises from its support |
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Springer | Kämpferstein / Anfangsstein | The first voussoir resting on the impost of an arch |
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Springing |
See:
Spring
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Squint |
See:
Hagioscope
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St Andrew’s cross | Andreaskreuz | X-shaped cross. It is believed that the Apostle Andrew was crucified on such a cross. Also called Crux Decussata after the Roman “decussis”/numeral ten |
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St Anthony’s cross | Antoniuskreuz | T-shaped cross, also Tau cross from the Greek letter tau, Crux commissa (connected cross); named after the hermit Antonius, who is said to have carried a like-shaped stick |
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Stations of the cross | Kreuzwegstationen | A series of usually 14 images or pictures especially in a church that represent the stages of Christ's passion and death |
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Stave church | Stabkirche | Medieval wooden church once common in north-western Europe (especially Norway). The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts are called stafr in Old Norse. Two related church building types also named for their structural elements, the post church and palisade church, are often called 'stave churches'. |
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Steeple | Turmhelm | A tall ornamental structure, usually ending in a spire and surmounting the tower |
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Stop | Registerzug | A knob or switch in an organ to control a rank of pipes |
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Stoup | Weihwasserbecken | A basin for holy water at the entrance of a church |
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Stucco | Stuck | Type of cement plaster that is applied to a surface |
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Tabernacle | Tabernakel | Richly ornamented niche or freestanding canopy; usually contains the Holy Sacrament |
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Tester |
See:
Sounding board
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Titular saint |
See:
Patron saint
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Tower | Turm(-schaft) | A building or structure high in proportion to its lateral dimensions, either standing alone or forming part of a larger building |
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Tracery | Maßwerk | Pattern made with the stone ribs that fill the upper part of Gothic windows |
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Transepts | Querschiff / Querhaus | A transept is the transverse section/one arm of the crossing in a cruciform church, normally at the tower crossing and separating the nave from the chancel |
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Transverse arch | Gurtbogen | Arch set at right angles to the axis of a vault, which it divides into bays |
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Trefoil | Dreipaß | Decorative shape of three equal lobes, much used in tracery windows |
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Triforium | Triforium | Upper aisle with its own arcade forming an important part of the elevation of a nave interior above the nave-arcade and below the clerestory |
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Trumeau | Trumeau | A column supporting the tympanum at its center |
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Tympan(um) | Tympanon | Area above a lintel over an opening contained by an arch set above it |
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Vault | Gewölbe | Basically an arched roof, though the forms in which it has developed are manyfold, for example barrel, fan, lierne, rib and tierceron vault |
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Velum | Velum | A piece of cloth used for various purposes in the Roman-Catholic liturgy, e. g. for covering the chalice until the communion takes place |
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Vergeboard |
See:
Bargeboard
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Vestry | Sakristei | Room within or adjoining the church and used by the priest to store vestments and items relevant to church matters |
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Virgin and Child with St. Anne | Anna selbdritt | A representation of the Virgin and Child with St. Anne as a group of three |
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Virgin of Mercy | Schutzmantelmadonna | A subject in Christian Art, showing a group of people sheltering for protection under the outspread cloak, or pallium of the Virgin Mary |
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Votive candle | Votivkerze | Offering / prayer candle |
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Voussoir | Wölbstein | Wedge-shaped unit in a masonry arch or vault, having side cuts converging at one of the arch centers |
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West-work | Westwerk | Tower-like west front of an early Romanesque or Carolingian church containing an entrance-vestibule with a chapel and other rooms over it opening to the upper part of the nave |
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Wheel window | Radfenster |
See:
Rose window
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Winged altarpiece |
See:
Winged retable
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Winged retable / Folding altar / Winged altarpiece | Flügelaltar | Special form of reredos, in which the fixed shrine or corpus can be enclosed by movable wings (two: triptych) |
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