barrel vault

(noun)

A simple roof having a curved, often semicircular, cross section used to span large distances in railway stations, churches, etc, and usually supported on columns.

Related Terms

Examples of barrel vault in the following topics:

  • Roman Architecture under the Republic

    • The simplest type is known as a barrel vault.
    • Barrel vaults consist of a line of arches in a row that create the shape of a tunnel.
    • When two barrel vaults intersect at right angles, they create a groin vault.
    • Concrete was used as the primary building material and barrel vaults provide structural support both as a terracing method for the hill and in creating interesting architectural spaces for the sanctuary.
    • This diagram illustrates the structural support of an arch extended into a barrel vault.

  • Romanesque Painting and Stained Glass

    • The large wall surfaces and plain, curving vaults of the architecture of the Romanesque period lent themselves to elaborate wall paintings and mural decorations.
    • The long barrel vault of the nave provides an excellent surface for fresco and is decorated with scenes of the Old Testament, showing the Creation, the Fall of Man, and other stories.

  • Romanesque Sculpture

    • The term was invented by 19th-century art historians specifically to refer to Romanesque architecture, which retained many basic features of Roman architectural style (most notably round-headed arches, barrel vaults, apses, and acanthus-leaf decoration) while also developing many very different characteristics.

  • Mosaics in the Early Byzantine Empire

    • The vaulting is covered with floral motifs (possibly symbolic of the Garden of Eden) and stars that stand out against a blue background even seeming to sparkle with their own mystical light.
    • Mosaics cover the walls of the vault, the lunettes and the bell tower.
    • The other four apostles appear in the barrel vaults of the transepts.

  • Norman Painting

    • The large wall surfaces and plain, curving vaults of the Romanesque period lent themselves well to mural decoration in Normandy and other Norman lands.
    • The long barrel vault of the nave provides an excellent surface for fresco and is decorated with scenes of the Old Testament.

  • Architecture under the Nervan-Antonines

    • It consists of a round portico with a barrel vault supported by pillars.

  • Arches, Vaults, and Domes

    • The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance.
    • An example is the thicker walls used in the case of barrel or continuous vaults.
    • Buttresses are used to supply resistance when intersecting vaults are employed.
    • The inclusion of domes represents a wider sense of the word vault.
    • Explain the architectural structure and purpose of arches, vaults, and domes.

  • Gothic Cathedrals

    • The Gothic vault, unlike the semi-circular vault of Roman and Romanesque buildings, can be used to roof rectangular and irregularly shaped plans such as trapezoids.
    • This enabled architects to raise vaults much higher than was possible in Romanesque architecture.
    • In Gothic architecture the pointed arch is used in every location where a vaulted shape is called for, both structurally and decoratively.
    • The increase in the use of large windows during the Gothic period is directly related to the use of the pointed arch, the ribbed vault, and the flying buttress.

  • Characteristics of Romanesque Architecture

    • Romanesque design is also characterized by the presence of arches and openings, arcades, columns, and vaults and roofs.
    • In most parts of Europe, Romanesque columns were massive, as they supported thick upper walls with small windows and sometimes heavy vaults.
    • In churches, typically the aisles are vaulted, but the nave is roofed with timber, as is the case at both Peterborough and Ely.
    • In Italy where open wooden roofs are common, and tie beams frequently occur in conjunction with vaults, the timbers have often been decorated, as at San Miniato al Monte, Florence.
    • Vaults of stone or brick took on several different forms and showed marked development during the period, evolving into the pointed, ribbed arch characteristic of Gothic architecture.

  • Distortions of Space and Foreshortening

    • Radial distortion can usually be classified as one of two main types: barrel distortion and pincushion distortion.
    • Barrel distortion occurs when image magnification decreases with distance from the optical axis.
    • The apparent effect is that of an image which has been mapped around a sphere (or barrel).
    • Essentially it is just barrel distortion, but only in the horizontal plane.