ambo
The elevated pulpit used for preaching in the church nave.
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ambulatory (byz. arch.)
A continuous passage that envelops the naos or the centrally planned core of a structure. In a cross-domed church, where the dome is supported on four masonry piers and between each pair of piers two columns are inserted, the ambulatory is formed by the lateral aisles and western part of the church. Later on, an ambulatory could also envelop a cross-in-square core. During the Palaeologan period, ambulatories, usually serving as funerary chambers, were added to many middle-Byzantine churches of Constantinople.
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apse
An arched srtucture or a semi-circular end of a wall. In byzantine architecture it means the semicircular, usually barrel-vaulted, niche at the east end of a basilica. The side aisles of a basilica may also end in an apse, but it is always in the central apse where the altar is placed. It was separated from the main church by a barrier, the templon, or the iconostasis. Its ground plan on the external side could be semicircular, rectangular or polygonal.
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cornice
Decorative architectural element projecting from the wall. It is used both on the internal and the external face of the church walls, in order to mark the division between the vertical wall and the spring of the vaults. It is usually made of marble and bears painted or sculptural decoration of vegetal or geometric motifs.
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cross- (groin-) vault
A vault formed over square or rectangular spaces by the interpenetration of two barrel-vaults of equal hight and diameter. The lines of the intersection form a diagonal cross.
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dome
A characteristic element of Byzantine architecture. The dome is a hemispherical vault on a circular wall (drum) usually pierced by windows. The domed church emerges in the Early Byzantine years and its various types gradually prevail, while they are expanded in the Balkans and in Russia.
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drum of dome
Part of the church, semicircular or polygonal, on which rises an hemispheric dome
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exonarthex (outer narthex)
The transverse vestibule or portico preceding the narthex of the church.
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katholikon
The main church in a monastic complex, heart of the monastic activity.
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khan (Ilkhan), khagan
This title was used in Turkic and Mongolian languages to designate the supreme ruler. The Byzantines used it to refer to the rulers of the Avars, Khazars, Turks and Bulgarians.
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naos (nave)
The main part of the temple, between the narthex and the bema. It was the place where the congregation took part in the liturgy.
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narthex
A portico or a rectangular entrance-hall, parallel with the west end of an early Christian basilica or church.
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pendentive
Triangular surface used for the transition from the square base of the church to the hemispheric dome.
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templon or iconostasis
A structure separating the sanctuary from the main church. At first, it simply divided the nave from the presbytery, but later it became higher, with small columns and an epistyle. From the 11th century onwards, icons were placed between the templon columns and, somewhat later, icons were also placed above the epistyle, thus forming the iconostasis. The templon were originally from marble. Wooden iconostases appeared from the 13th century.
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typikon
Foundation document of a monastery compiling the rules regarding its administrative organization and liturgic rituals, as well as the comportment inside a cenobitic monastery. The monastic typika could also include the biography (vita) of the monastery founder along with a catalogue of the movable or immovable property of the monastery. They constitute an important source for the study of the monastic life, while at the same time they shed light on many aspects of the Byzantine society. The liturgical typika were calendars with instructions for each day’s services, liturgical books with rules arranging the celebration rituals.
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