Glossary · C
Cross-in-square
Also called cross in square, inscribed cross, quincunx church
The standard middle Byzantine church plan: a square naos divided into nine bays, the central bay domed on four columns or piers, the four arms barrel-vaulted to form a cross, and the four corner bays lower.
See also: Pendentive, Drum
Rules that use the word
The cross-in-square: nine bays. Divide a square naos into nine bays: dome the central one on a drum over four columns, barrel-vault the four arms of the cross, and cover the four corner bays lower; add three apses to the east and a narthex to the west.
Five domes in a quincunx. Crown the four corner bays of a cross-in-square with smaller domes on drums around the great central dome, making a five-domed quincunx.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters Byzantium and the Early Church.
A feature of Byzantine architecture.
Nearby in the glossary
Cortile · Cottage orné · Crepidoma · Crocket · Crossing · Crown post · Cruck · Cupola