Empire

Neoclassical style of decoration that developed in France
under Napoleon and heavily influence by ancient Greece,
Rome and Egypt.

Faience

earthenware covered with an opaque enamel coating,
essentially a type of glazed terracotta.

Fretwork

timber cut in a decorative and often repeating pattern.

Gable

triangular upper part of a wall at the end of a roof.

Gargoyle

waterspout on a parapet to allow water to flow from the
gutter, often imaginatively carved in the form of demons
or bizarre animals.

Gothic

style of architecture in Western Europe from the 12th to
the 16th century and again in the 19th, main features
are the pointed arch, delicately carved stone and plenty
of ornamentation.

Grotesque

ornamental decorative carving, often of animals, flowers
or mythological or fantastic animals.

Ionic order

Classical order of architecture, the second in Greek and
the third in Roman; easily identified by its capital with its
rolled up scrolls; the Greek shafts are invariably fluted.

Loggia

open-sided arcade, often on an upper floor.

Lunette

panel on a wall under an arch or vault.

Mannerism

architectural style of the late Renaissance (the 16th
century), typified by its use of Classical elements in
unexpected or surprising ways.

Monstrance

a vessel used to display the consecrated Eucharistic host
in certain religious ceremonies.

Motif

design element which is repeated.

Nave

the main body of a church, the place where worshippers
sit.

Neoclassical

style of architecture popular from the 17th century
onwards and based on the architecture of ancient Greece
and the Rome; buildings are usually symmetrical, have
elegant proportioning, and are characterised by the
generous use of columns and pillars.

Peristyle

colonnades surrounding a building or courtyard.

Pilaster

an upright rectangular pier which looks like a pillar
attached to a wall.

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