Transept of Rouen cathedral (France, 1200s AD) Transepts were part of medieval Christian churches. Most churches were shaped like a cross, to remind people about Jesus' crucifixion, and the transept [...]
Nave of Abbaye aux Dames (Caen, 1050 AD) The nave is the long narrow part of a Roman basilica or a Christian church - the part where people sit in a [...]
Six-part groin vault (Abbaye aux Dames, Caen, 1050 AD) Stone roofs and fireproofing In Romanesque churches, in the 1000s AD, architects or often just had a wood roof. But wood [...]
Flying buttress (Rouen Cathedral, 1200s AD) Gothic cathedrals In the 1100s AD, architects in northern France wanted to build big impressive Gothic cathedrals. They also wanted their cathedrals to be [...]
Looking into the side aisles of the Pisa Duomo (Italy, 1064 AD) What are double aisles? Some big basilicas and churches had two aisles instead of one: double aisles. The [...]
Buttress of St. Germain des Pres (Paris, 1100s AD) A buttress holds up a wall A buttress is a big pile of stone that keeps a building's walls from falling down. [...]
Arches of the Medieval Baptistry at Pisa How do you hold up the roof? People building houses or any other kind of people have always had this one big problem, [...]
Hagia Irene in Istanbul (ancient Constantinople) What is an apse? An apse is a rounded end of a building. You most often find an apse in a basilica or a [...]
Side aisle of the Abbaye aux Dames (Caen, 1050 AD) What is an aisle? An aisle (you pronounce it EYE-yull) is the part of a Roman basilica or a medieval [...]
