A vault bay (also called a severy or vault cell) is the individual, curved surface of a vault bounded by the supporting ribs, transverse arches or walls. A large vault consists of several vault bays that together form the covering of a space.
Application
Vault bays occur above all in churches, monasteries and other monumental buildings with stone vaults. In a rib vault, the diagonal ribs divide the square or rectangular bay into four triangular vault cells. Each cell is a thin, masonry shell that transfers its forces through the ribs to the piers and buttresses.
The size and shape of the vault bays help determine the spatial effect of the interior. In the Gothic period the cells were made ever thinner and lighter, making tall, slender spaces possible.
Characteristics
Building a vault bay begins on a timber centering (formwork). The stones are laid course by course upon it until the keystone locks the whole together. Once the mortar has hardened, the cell supports itself and the centering can be removed. In a net or star vault, the many ribs create numerous small vault cells with a decorative pattern.
Related terms
- vault
- vault rib
- keystone
- rib vault
- transverse arch
- buttress
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