Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, was founded as a Benedictine Monastery around 676 by the scholar-poet Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The clerestory carries the clear glass windows at the top of the picture. The next level down (flood-lit, with rounded arches) is the triforium, the lowest level is the nave arcade. See also Cathedral architecture of the Western World In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the

Clerestory (IPA: /ˈklɪə(r)stɔəri/; lit. clear storey, also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is an architectural term denoting an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. An aisle is in general a space for walking with rows of seats on either side or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other The Romans also used clerestories in their basilica-like baths and palaces, and probably derived the clerestory from the Hellenistic architecture of the Greeks. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions The clerestory originated in the temples of Egypt. It is also used to denote a style of railway rolling stock (predominantly passenger), for example the Great Western Railway Clerestory carriage of the Victorian era where the windows in the roof 'cupola' provided access to, and ventilation for, the vehicle's gas lighting. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West

Sometimes these windows are very small, being mere quatrefoils or spherical triangles. In large buildings, however, they are important objects, both for beauty and utility. The ribbed vaulting of Gothic architecture concentrated the weight and thrust of the roof, freeing more wall-space for larger clerestory fenestration. The intersection of two or three Barrel vaults produces a rib-vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns In Gothic churches, the clerestory is generally divided into bays by the vaulting shafts that continue the same tall columns that form the arcade separating the aisles from the nave. A bay is a module in classical or Gothic architecture the distance between two supports of a vault or the unit of an opening and its framing on a façade

Under the clerestory and above the arcade could be inserted an additional story, the triforium that helped dramatically increase the height of a Gothic nave. See also Cathedral architecture of the Western World The triforium consists of a narrow passageway inserted in the wall beneath the windows of the clerestory and above the large gallery over the side aisles. The triforium is open to the nave through its own arcade, often doubling or tripling the number of arches to a bay.

Stralsund, St Nicolai. Stralsund (ˈʃtʁaːlzʊnt is a city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, situated at the southern Coast of the Strelasund (a sound The clerestory is the level between the two green roofs.

In English churches, the windows of the clerestories of Norman work, even in large churches, are of less importance than in the later styles. For other buildings in Normandy see Architecture of Normandy. In Early English they became larger; and in the Decorated Gothic they are more important still, being lengthened as the triforium diminishes. See also Cathedral architecture of the Western World In Perpendicular work the latter often disappears altogether, and in many later churches, as at Taunton, and many churches in Norfolk and Suffolk, the clerestories are close ranges of windows. English Gothic is the name of the Architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520 Taunton is the County town of Somerset, England. The Unparished area (or former Municipal borough) of Taunton has a Population Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. Suffolk (ˈsʌfək is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England.

Byzantine-style clerestory of the Monreale cathedral is elaborately covered with glass mosaic work. Monreale ( Sicilian: Murriali) is a town and Comune in the Province of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy,

Ancient occurrence

At Hagia Sophia, for instance, the main dome rests on a drum pierced by clerestory lights. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Αγία Σοφία " Holy Wisdom " Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia) is a former patriarchal Basilica, later

The term "clerestory" is equally applicable to Egyptian temples, where the lighting of the hall of columns was obtained over the stone roofs of the adjoining aisles, through slits pierced in vertical slabs of stone. Clerestory appeared in Egypt at least as early as the Amarna period. ^[1]

In the Minoan palaces of Crete, by contrast, lightwells were employed in addition to clerestories. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the In Architecture a lightwell is an open space reaching from a glazed roof down several storeys typically to the ground floor or basement level ^[2]

Modern usage

The iconic road sign for a factory shows multiple clerestory windows

By extension, "clerestory lights" are any rows of windows above eye level that allow light into a space. In modern architecture, clerestories provide light without distractions of a view or compromising privacy. Factory buildings are often built with clerestory windows (as illustrated on the sign); modern housing designs sometimes include them as well. Another example is the new Crosby Theatre of the Santa Fe Opera where two are joined by a clerestory window. The Santa Fe Opera (SFO is an American Opera company located north of Santa Fe in the U

See also

• Gothic architecture
• Cathedral architecture of the Western World

References