pendentive, in architecture,
a triangular segment of a spherical surface, filling in the upper corners of a room
, in order to form, at the top, a circular support for a dome.
What is the difference between a pendentive and a Squinch?
Lesson Summary
A squinch, the more basic of the two, is a wedge that fits into the top corner of a space. The use of four squinches turns a square into an octagon to support the dome, but they have a blocky appearance. A pendentive is
more elegant
, like a spherical triangle.
Why is a pendentive used in architecture?
Usually ornamented and four to a dome, pendentives make the dome appear as if it’s hanging in the air, like a “pendent.” The word is from the Latin pendens meaning “hanging.” Pendentives are
used for stabilizing a round dome on a square frame, resulting in enormous interior open space beneath the dome
.
What are pendentives used for?
Pendentive is the term given to
a construction element that allows a dome to be placed over square or rectangular spaces
. Pendentives are triangular segments of a sphere that spread at the top and taper to points at the bottom, thereby enabling the continuous circular or elliptical base needed to support the dome.
How did the Byzantines build a pendentive?
Byzantine engineers turned to the structural use of pendentives
to elevate domes to new heights
. With this technique, a dome can rise from the top of a vertical cylinder, like a silo, giving height to the dome.
What is a barrel vault in architecture?
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is
an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault)
along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design.
How does the pendentive work?
In architecture, a pendentive is a
constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or of an elliptical dome over a rectangular room
. … In masonry the pendentives thus receive the weight of the dome, concentrating it at the four corners where it can be received by the piers beneath.
What’s the meaning of Squinch?
1 :
to screw up (the eyes or face)
: squint. 2a : to make more compact. b : to cause to crouch down or draw together. intransitive verb. 1 : flinch.
Where is a Pendentive found?
Pendentives are common in the
Romanesque domed churches of the Aquitaine in France
, as in Saint-Front at Perigueux (begun 1120) and the cathedral of Saint-Pierre at Angoulême (1105–28), but they occur only occasionally in Italian churches.
What is the symbolic significance of the Muqarnas vault?
Significance. Muqarnas ornament is significant in Islamic architecture because it represents
an ornamental form that conveys the vastness and complexity of Islamic ideology
. The distinct units of the dome represent the complex creation of the universe, and in turn the Creator, himself.
What are the types of domes?
- 3.1 Corbel dome.
- 3.2 Cloister vault.
- 3.3 Crossed-arch dome.
- 3.4 Geodesic dome.
- 3.5 Monolithic dome.
- 3.6 Onion dome.
- 3.7 Oval dome.
- 3.8 Rotational dome.
What is the meaning of Aya Sophia?
Image credit: Tatiana Popova Shutterstock) The Hagia Sophia, whose name means
“holy wisdom
,” is a domed monument originally built as a cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the sixth century A.D.
How do you support a dome?
Domes can be supported by
an elliptical or circular wall called a “drum”
. If this structure extends to ground level, the round building may be called a “rotunda”.
What is Russian architecture called?
The
Russian Revival style
(historiographical names are: Russian style, Russian: русский стиль, Pseudo-Russian style, Russian: псевдорусский стиль, Neo-Russian style, Russian: нео-русский стиль, Russian Byzantine style, Russian: русско-византийский стиль) is the generic term for a number of different movements within …
What is a famous example of Byzantine architecture?
The most famous example of Byzantine architecture is
the Hagia Sophia
. The Hagia Sophia held the title of largest church in the world until the Ottoman Empire sieged the Byzantine capital.
What is the difference between Byzantine and Romanesque architecture?
Romanesque design grew out of Byzantine design. … Romanesque churches were huge structures,
larger and longer than
Byzantine churches. Instead of a massive dome as the central focus, they were often more horizontal with towers and arched forms.
