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The nave is the central corridor or room of a Christian church that leads to the transept and the chancel where the clergy would be.
What does a nave look like?
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. You can see the two rows of columns, and the three naves (or one nave and two aisles) between the columns, and the apse at the other end.
As nouns the difference between nave and apse is that nave is (human) hand while apse is (architecture) a semicircular projection from a building, especially the rounded east end of a church that contains the altar.
What is nave and transept?
transept, the area of a cruciform church lying at right angles to the principal axis. The transept itself is sometimes simply called the cross. The nave of a church with a cruciform plan usually extends toward the west from the crossing, the choir and sanctuary toward the east.
The nave is the main space in the church. It is where the congregation sits. You only find aisles in larger churches when the builders wanted to make room for more people to get into the church. The altar ends of some aisles are used as chapels.
What is nave in art history?
nave The central longitudinal space of a bascilican church. It is usually flanked on its lond sides by aislas which are separated from the nave by columns or piers. In many churches, the lay congregation stand in the nave to attend religious services.
nave, central and principal part of a Christian church, extending from the entrance (the narthex) to the transepts (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 is nave in architecture?
The nave (/neɪv/) is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel.
What is the entry of 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. By extension, the narthex can also denote a covered porch or entrance to a building.
What is the roof of a church called?
A pointed cone shape on top of a building is called a spire, especially when it rises from the roof of a church. The part of a church roof that rises above a city skyline or a village’s rolling hills, pointing sharply up toward the sky, is its spire. Many church spires have a cross at the very top.