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The nave (/ n eɪ v /) is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. [1] [2] When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type building, the strict definition of the term "nave" is restricted to the central aisle. [1]
The nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church, in Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture. "Nave" (Medieval Latin navis, "ship") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting. [1]
The transepts cross the nave at the crossing, which belongs equally to the main nave axis and to the transept. Upon its four piers , the crossing may support a spire (e.g., Salisbury Cathedral ), a central tower (e.g., Gloucester Cathedral ) or a crossing dome (e.g., St Paul's Cathedral ).
Plan of a Western cathedral, with the narthex in the shaded area at the western end. Floorplan of the Chora Church, showing both inner and outer narthex.. The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or vestibule, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. [1]
A nave is the middle, center, or body of a church, or (etymologically unrelated) the hub of a wheel. Nave or naves may also refer to: Places. France. Nave ...
For example, the Gothic architecture period's Chartres Cathedral has a nave (main interior space) that is "seven bays long." Similarly in timber framing a bay is the space between posts in the transverse direction of the building and aisles run longitudinally.
Amiens Cathedral floorplan: massive piers support the west end towers; transepts are abbreviated; seven radiating chapels form the chevet reached from the ambulatory. In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing.
The placement of the choir within a large Latin cross church The choir of Bristol Cathedral, with the nave seen through the chancel screen, so looking west. A choir, also sometimes called quire, [1] is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir.