The cosmatesque style takes its name from Cosma, son of Jacopo di Lorenzo and one of the members of the Cosmati family. The Cosmati were a family of Roman marble workers who, from the 12th to the 13th century, with their workshops, had numerous commissions for architectural and decorative work in ec...

The term comes from Roman coinage and the way they represented the fraction of 5/12. A quincunx is an arrangement of five units, usually depicted with a central sphere and a further four spheres at the vertices. In the iconography of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, as well as in many contemporary churc...

The term comes from Roman coinage and the way they represented the fraction of 5/12. A quincunx is an arrangement of five units, usually depicted with a central sphere and a further four spheres at the vertices. In the iconography of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, as well as in many contemporary churc...

The iconostasis, which is mainly found in Eastern churches, is an architectural structure that divides the area of the presbytery from that of the nave. The iconostasis could also display icons, sacred images that had a symbolic role of prominence and connection between God and the faithful. The ico...

In the Greek cross layout, the 'arms' are of equal size, whereas in the Latin cross layout, the nave and transept are of different lengths. The transept, in fact, intersecting the longitudinal nave at right angles, gives the church its classic layout. The point of intersection, called the cross, is...

The pointed arch, or ogival arch, consists of two circular arches intersecting at the apex. It was used in Islamic and Byzantine architecture and was revived in Sicily during the Norman-Swabian period. It also appeared in Cluny in 1088, with the construction of the third abbey. Thanks to the use of ...

The barrel vault, a construction element characteristic of Roman architecture, is one of the simplest, used since ancient times to even cover large spaces. Its shape is derived from the arch and the curvature, which can be rounded, lowered or raised. The longitudinal intersection of two barrel vault...

The apse, from the Latin absis, meaning arch, appears as a semi-cylindrical or polygonal structure and is present in both public buildings and churches. Usually, in churches, it concludes the main nave, beyond the presbytery, or the two side aisles and symbolises the privileged place where the pres...

In Christian churches, the presbyteral space is the area around the high altar where the presbyters take their places to worship. This space is located at the end of the nave, ends with the apse and contains the altar. The presbytery is reserved for the clergy and deacons, and in some cases is locat...

Used by the Etruscans and the Romans, ancient porphyry is a variant that came from Ancient Egypt after it was conquered by Augustus following the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The Egyptians, in fact, used it in their works, associating it with royal power. From the 5th century AD it also became a symbo...