In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar. 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 abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place "Nave" (Medieval Latin navis, "ship,") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. A Vault (French voute Italian volta German Gewölbe Polish sklepienie, Spanish The nave of a church, whether Romanesque, Gothic or Classical, extends from the entry — which may have a separate vestibule, the narthex — to the chancel and is flanked by lower aisles separated from the nave by an arcade. The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area located at the end of the Nave, at the far end from the church's main Altar. 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 An arcade is a passage or walkway covered over by a succession of Arches or vaults supported by columns If the aisles are high and of a width comparable to the central nave, the structure is sometimes said to have three naves.
Though to a modern visitor the nave seems to be the principal part of a Gothic church, churches were sometimes built as funds became available, working outward from the liturgically essential sanctuary, and many were consecrated before their nave was completed. Many naves were not completed to the initial plan, as tastes changed, and some naves were never completed at all. In Gothic architecture, the precise number of arcaded bays in the nave was not a material concern.
The height of the nave provides space for clerestory windows above the aisle roofs, which give light to the interior, leaving the apse in shadow, as at the abbey of Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville. Clerestory (ˈklɪə(rstɔəri lit clear storey, also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is an architectural term denoting Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville, in Seine-Maritime, France. The architectural antecedents of this construction lay in the secular Roman basilica, a kind of covered stoa sited adjacent to a forum, where magistrates met and public business was transacted. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman Stoa (plural stoae or stoæ) in Ancient Greek architecture; covered walkways or Porticos commonly for public usage The Forum was the public space in the middle of a Roman city It had a great social importance and was often the scene of diverse activities including political discussions
In Romanesque constructions, where a gallery was required to allow passage above the aisles, an addition to the elevation of the nave was inserted, called a triforium. See also Cathedral architecture of the Western World In later styles the triforium was eliminated, the aisles lowered and great expanses of stained glass took the place of the clerestory windows, as at Bath Abbey (illustration, left).
The crossing is the part of the nave that also belongs to the transepts that intersect its space. Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – April 15, 1446) was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. The Basilica di San Lorenzo ( Basilica of St Lawrence) is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s Full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram. The crossing may be surmounted by a tower or spire, or by a dome in Eastern churches, a feature that was reintroduced to the West at the Renaissance, first in Filippo Brunelleschi's San Lorenzo (illustration right). A dome is a common structural element of Architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a Sphere. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – April 15, 1446) was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. Brunelleschi restored the original Roman form of the basilica and consciously revived Roman details, such as the flat coffered ceiling. Clerestory windows still light San Lorenzo's nave, setting apart in dimness the crossing, with its small dome. In other contexts, lanterns and openings above the transept might bathe the crossing in more light instead. The crossing may be further distinguished from the nave by the rhythm of its architecture: wider-spaced piers supporting the higher vaulting of the transepts.
The nave was the area reserved for the non-clergy (the "laity"), while the chancel and choir were reserved for the clergy, and a rood screen (cancellus) separated the sanctuary from the nave. APSE standing for Ada Programming Support Environment is a program or set of programs to support Software development in the Ada programming language. The rood screen (also choir screen or chancel screen) is a common feature in late Medieval parish Church architecture. Rood screens were swept away by Protestant reformers in the 16th century. Fixed pews in the nave are a comparatively modern, Protestant innovation. A pew is a long bench used for seating members of a church 's congregation On weekdays the large open area often served for the town marketplace, political meetings, places of various trades including, on some occasions, even that of prostitution. Often smelling of animal dung and human urine, naves were not very clean places. Hence, rood screens were used to separate the more sacred areas of the cathedral and keep out the unwashed and unholy.
Record-holding church naves
- Longest nave in America: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, United States (Episcopalian) (230 feet, 70 metres)
- Longest nave in England: St Albans Cathedral, St Albans (Anglican) (348 feet, 106 metres)
- Longest nave in France: Bourges (300 feet, 91 metres including choir where a crossing would be if there were transepts. The Cathedral of St John the Divine, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, is the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese The City of New York The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International St Albans Cathedral (formerly St Albans Abbey, officially The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban) is an Anglican church at St Albans is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London. Bourges is a commune in central France on the Yèvre river It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital )
- Longest nave in Germany: Cologne cathedral (58 metres (190 feet), including two bays between the towers. Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom officially de Hohe Domkirche St )
- Longest nave in Spain: Seville ( 200 feet, 60 metres in five bays)
- Longest nave in Italy: St Peter's Basilica in Rome (300 feet, 91 metres, in four bays)
- Highest vaulted nave: Beauvais Cathedral, France, (48 metres, 158 feet high but only one bay of the nave was actually built but choir and transepts were completed to the same height. Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St )
- Highest completed nave: Rome, St. Peter's, Italy, 151, feet, 46 metres high. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St
- Highest completed vaulted nave: Cathedral of Milan, Italy, 147 feet, 45 metres high. Milan Cathedral (Italian Duomo di Milano; Milanese: Domm de Milan) is the Cathedral
See also
- Cathedral diagram
- Cathedral architecture
- Abbey, with architectural discussion and groundplans
- List of highest church naves
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