An intrados is the surface visible inside the vault. More generally, it indicates the underside of the depth of a structure. It is also called an "imbotto" or "ventre"....

Pilaster strips are vertical pillars leaning against the wall, which do not have a structural function, merely a decorative one. They have capitals and bases. Rustication, on the other hand, is an ornamental finish usually composed of ashlars, or blocks of stone....

A polyptych is the form of some works of art, mainly sacred, obtained by aggregating several boards or separate individual panels that are assembled and enclosed in a frame in order to obtain an architectural structure. In fact, the word comes from the Greek poli- meaning "many" + ptychē meaning ...

The top element of the column, the capital, can be one of three types belonging to the respective architectural orders: Doric, Ionic or Corinthian. The Corinthian capital is composed of an upturned truncated cone, called a kalathos, featuring two overlapping rows of eight acanthus leaves, an orien...

On a sundial, the gnomon is the shaft or tip of the stylus, a rod that protrudes from the sundial. The shadow it casts is used to tell the time....

St. George (Cappadocia, ca. 275 - ca. 285 – Nicomedia, 23 April 303) is the saint who slew the dragon, a popular symbol of paganism and evil in the stories about medieval saints. Of all the saints, dragon slayers are those who are most often worshipped....

The architects of the time had learned that round shapes were better able to withstand the stresses of earthquakes, especially apses, while the more angular shapes tended to give way more easily. Undulating façades were also built for this reason, as they were more resistant....

The term bay indicates the space between two vertical elements, for example two columns or pillars. It is characterised by the rhythmic repetition of the supporting elements, such as the succession of arcades in the nave of a church....

A transept is the space that runs transversally to the main direction of the church, i.e. of the naves, and before the apse. In churches with a Latin cross plan, it corresponds to the shorter arms....

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