Gothic Art: a Morphological and Semantic Comparison of Polish and English Architectural Terms
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FOLIA 191 Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Anglica V (2015) ISSN 2299-2111 Jacek Rachfał Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Wschodnioeuropejska w Przemyślu, Poland GOTHIC ART: A MORPHOLOGICAL AND SEMANTIC COMPARISON OF POLISH AND ENGLISH ARCHITECTURAL TERMS Terminology The description to follow will be of a Gothic church, which, to many people, is a prototypical and spectacular embodiment of a church building. However, the main traits of its skeleton should be sought in Carolingian and Romanesque temples, where the typical model is a nave-and-chancel church Here, the main internal space for the congregation is the longitudinally located nave altar (‘kościół z nawą i chórem’). of worship, and beyond the transepts. A transept a transverse(‘nawa główna’), space to eitherextending side upof theto the crossing (‘ołtarz’), which is the focal point area where the nave, the transepts and the chancel (‘transept, intersect. nawa The poprzeczna’) chancel is (‘skrzyżowanie naw’), that is, an and often a choir and an apse. East of the choir is the presbytery (‘chór, wherechór kapłański’) the high altar is the is space situated. to the The east easternmost of the crossing, section which is the contains apse an altar, that is, a semicircular or polygonal space behind the high altar, often(‘prezbiterium’), roofed with a half-dome (‘apsyda’), arrangement, then it represents a triconch church is, a three-apsed(‘półkopuła, church. koncha’). The choir If the temple has three apses arrayed in a trefoil sits, typically in choir stalls (‘kościół trójkonchowy’), that the transepts and the chancel form (‘chóra cruciform kapłański’) church is, or the a crossarea wherechurch the choir (‘stalla’), i.e. ornately carved benches. Thus, the nave, The nave is flanked on its either side by an aisle (‘kościół corridorna planie which krzyża’), is bounded that is, by one a row whose of columns ground or plan an arcade.is in the An shape arcade of a cross. is a row of columns surmounted by a series of arches.(‘nawa An boczna’), arch a longitudinal symmetrical structure which spans an opening and typically supports the (‘arkada’) weight of a building. The top of an arch is its crown (‘łuk’) is a curved the springer the haunch (‘wierzchołek,intrados nasada’); its base is the masonry (‘wspora,area on the nóżka, outside kliniec of an wezgłowiowy, arch is its spandrel wezgłowie’); its main part is (‘pacha’), the inside area of which is the (‘podłucze’), whereasblind arch column (‘żagielek’). Sometimesbase, an arch is only a decorative element filled up withpier masonry; it is then called (‘łuk ślepy, blenda’). The (‘kolumna, podpora’) consists of the (‘baza’) that is, the part resting on the floor, the (‘trzon’), which is its main GOTHIC ART: A MORPHOLOGICAL AND SEMANTIC COMPARISON OF POLISH… [85] bulk, with vertical flutes along it, and the capital at its top. The capital (‘żłobek, profil’), that is distinctly carved ribs running favoured vine-leaf capitals (‘głowica’) is a separate block or a thickening at the top of a column, which has both decorative – Gothic especiallypillars (‘głowica liściasta’) – and structuralrespond functions. Columns are usually round in plan;demi-column if they are other than round, they are called an(‘filar’). arch. AnotherSupport iselement also provided of structural by corbels importance is the (‘służka’), that is, bracketsa half-pillar projecting or half-pier from ( the face of a: wall.‘półkolumna’) attached to a wall to support (‘kroksztyn’), i.e. ornamental masonry like chapels, a sacristy or a porch. A chapel worshipThe basic and outlineit can beof thelocated church’s in various body is completedplaces about by thesome church. attached On structures the other hand, a sacristy (‘kaplica’) is a small space for private a chamber where robes and other utensils are kept and where the priest prepares for the service. Wherever(‘zakrystia’) the is entrance always situatedto the church near theis, itpresbytery can be enclosed and it inis a porch Another structural attachment to the body of a cathedral can be a chapter house (‘kruchta, przedsionek’), i.e., a covered shelter projecting from the wall. church governors, for meetings and discussion. (‘kapitularz’),As discussed that above, is, a thesechamber fundamental originally featuresused by typifyingcanons of thethe structurechapter, i.e. of the church building were developed in the early Middle Ages but it was only the Gothic style that, while drawing upon them, endowed the church building with a sense of overwhelming grandeur and intricate sophistication. With an increased volume of the building, the lateral walls of the nave can now be divided into levels. The surmountedground level byis formed a row of by large an arcade windows separating called a the clerestory nave from the aisle; above the- isle is an empore; still above it there can be a triforium,empore and the top of the wall is gallery above an aisle, whereas a triforium (‘górne okna, cleresto- wardlyrium’), thefacing AmE open spelling wall passage, being “clearstory”. usually within An the thickness (‘empora’) of the iswall, a columned typically (‘tryforium, okna trójdzielne’) is an in of a triforium have been blocked up with masonry infill theequipped effect withis a blind triple arcade arcades, just below the clerestory.blind triforium If the arches of an arcade or The Gothic church is usually much wider than its Romanesque(‘kamienne antecedent wypełnienie’), and (‘ślepa arkada’) or a (‘ślepe tryforium’).five- aisled church situatedtherefore, aisles its volume separated often with needs arcades to be ordivided colonnades into smaller spaces; hence, a is a row of columns(‘kościół supportingpięcionawowy’) an architrave with the nave and four symmetrically beam resting on their tops. With as many as five aisles,(‘kolumnada’). the transepts A colonnade become less conspicuous in the floor plan of the building.(‘architraw’), The increased i.e. widtha horizontal of the crossing. The chancel and the presbytery are now surrounded by an ambulatory, church’s body also offers new solutions chancelin the designaisle, and of apsethe areaaisle eastand, ofwhich the Attached(‘ambit, obejście’), to the ambulatory its other namesis a chevet being is a semicircular extension of side aisles forming a walk behind the high altar. (‘wieniec kaplic’), a kind of a large apse [86] Jacek Rachfał consisting of a ring of radiating chapels with entrances from the ambulatory. The central chapel, which is the easternmost part of the church, is the Lady Chapel (‘promieniste kaplice’) facing outwards but from the ambulatory by a parclose The job of dividing spaces is also performed(‘kaplica by mariacka’). the rood screen Each chapel is separated (‘balustrada’), in the form of a railing or a screen. rood mounted on a rood beam (‘ściana teczowa’),lectern which separates the nave and the chancel and is intended to carry a crucifix or enclosing a stand with a desk from(‘belka behind teczowa’). which scriptures Near the roodare read screen, aloud. a (‘lektorium,Overhead, przegroda the walls chórowa’) are spanned can beby setthe up, ribbed which vault is an ornamental structure structural unit is the rib (‘sklepienie żebrowe’), wholea three-dimensional vault is divided arched into ceilingbays, or construction traves which supports the roof. Its basic by the adjacent arches or beams.(‘żebro, Eachłęk’), bay a protruding consists of linecells of brick or stone. The severies (‘przęsło’), that is, areas marked out are terminated by haunches (‘pole sklepienne’) or which converge(‘wysklepka’), diagonally that isare panels called or groins surfaces betweenogives the ribs. The severies the point of their intersection(‘grzbiet’), is a decorative that is, curvedknob, calledparts ofa bossarches. or Thekeystone ribs (‘szew’) or (‘ostrołuk’) and individual bays are called transverse ribs (‘zwornik,A more intricate klucz, kliniecvault structure szczytowy’). may Thecontain ribs additionalwhich run ribs,horizontally such as aand tierceron define lierne (‘gurt, łęk jarzmowy, żebro jarzmowe’). formed by the ribs, vaults represent the following types: stellar vault (star vault) (‘żebro poboczne’) or a net vault(‘żebro dekoracyjne’). Dependingfan vault on (palmthe pattern vault) parasol vault(‘sklepienie gwiaździste’), curved(‘sklepienie net vault sieciowe’),swung ribbed vault (‘sklepienie wachlarzowe,loop vault sklepienie palmowe, sklepienieloop stellar kielichowe’), vault (‘sklepieniecrystal parasolowe’), vault ( ) (‘sklepienie krzywolinijne’),While in the Romanesque(‘sklepienie architecture pętlicowe’), windows are small and round-topped,(‘sklepienie inwężowe’) Gothic they and are huge and(‘sklepienie pointed. The kryształowe’). early variety is represented by the lancet window lancet arch acute arch variety, (‘oknothe depressed lancetowe’), arch which is slender and sharp-pointed, withdrop aarch , is less sharp(‘łuk lancetowy, and it is composed łuk podwyższony’) of segments also whose called radii are less(‘łuk than ostry’). the span The of later the arch. The Tudor arch (‘łuk obniżony’) also known as the ogee arch, also called inflected arch consists of two mirrored ogees (‘łuk Tudorów’) is a four-centered pointed arch, whereas the large-sized windows, glazing needs support,(‘łuk w ośli which grzbiet’), is provided by vertical masonry shafts(‘sima, called esownica’),mullions i.e., S-shaped curves, which meet at an apex. In all these called transoms tracery (‘laska’) and, in more intricate designs, by horizontal bars forming a framework(‘szpros of ribspoprzeczny’).