Glossary · N
Narthex
Also called exonarthex
The vestibule or porch across the entrance end of an Early Christian or Byzantine church, between the atrium or street and the nave. Large churches may have an inner and an outer narthex (exonarthex).
Rules that use the word
From the atrium to the apse. Order the church as a single path: a colonnaded atrium, a narthex, the long nave drawn toward the altar, and the apse framed by a triumphal arch at the end of the axis.
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.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters Byzantium and the Early Church.
A feature of Early Christian architecture.
Nearby in the glossary
Muqarnas · Mutule · Naga balustrade · Naos · Nave · Necking · Newel · Niche