Glossary · G
Groin vault
Also called cross vault
A vault formed by two barrel vaults intersecting at right angles; the sharp edges where they meet are the groins.
Rules that use the word
Two barrels crossed gather their thrust at the corners. Intersect two barrel vaults of equal height at right angles: the result is a groin vault, whose weight and thrust are gathered along the diagonal groins to the four corners, leaving the sides free for openings.
The cloister vault: the groin turned inside out. Where the groin vault is the union of two barrels, the cloister (domical) vault is their intersection: four curved cells rise from all four walls and meet in valleys along the diagonals. It needs walls on every side.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters The Arch, Vaults, The Classical World, Romanesque and Gothic.
A feature of Ancient Roman, Romanesque architecture.
Nearby in the glossary
Golden section · Gong · Gopuram · Groin · Grotto · Guldasta · Guttae · Ha-ha