Blind arcade
A blind arcade, also called a blank arcade,[1] is an arcade (a series of arches) that lacks actual openings and is applied to the surface of a wall as a decorative element; that is, the arches are not openings, but form part of the masonry façade. It is designed as an ornamental architectural element, without any load-bearing function.
Similar structures
[edit | edit source]Whereas a blind arch is usually a single arch or a series of joined arches as a frieze (sometimes called Lombard band), a blind arcade is composed of a series of arches that have well-defined columns in between its arches.
A blind arcade may resemble several blind windows (false/blank windows or sealed-up windows)[1] or blind niches that are side by side.
Examples
[edit | edit source]Blind arcades are a common decorative features on the facades of Romanesque and Gothic buildings throughout Western Europe, and are also a common feature in Byzantine Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe, and in Armenian churches.
-
Córdoba, Spain
-
Norwich Cathedral, Norfolk, United Kingdom
-
Canterbury Cathedral, England (interlaced arches)
-
Linköping Cathedral, Sweden
-
Great Mosque of Kairouan (Mosque of Uqba), Tunisia
-
Blind arcade on Ardmore Cathedral, Ireland, with sculpted Biblical scenes (12th century)
See also
[edit | edit source]
References
[edit | edit source]External links
[edit | edit source]- Dictionary of French Architecture from the 11th to 16th century/Volume 1/Blind Arcade
- The Monasery of Marmashen
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
