What is an arcade arch (nave arcade)?
An arcade arch (Dutch: scheiboog, German: Scheidbogen) is an arch that divides two parts of a building. It usually refers to the arches running along the length of a church that separate the nave from the aisles. The arches rest on piers or columns and carry the nave wall above. Together they form the nave arcade.
In Dutch usage the chancel arch (or triumphal arch), the large arch between the nave and the choir or apse, is sometimes also called a scheiboog, because it separates those two parts of the church.
Shapes
The shape of the arcade arch follows the architectural style:
- round arch in Romanesque architecture;
- pointed arch in Gothic architecture;
- segmental or horseshoe arch in some regional styles and later churches;
- sometimes no true arch at all, but a straight lintel or architrave on columns.
The number of arches per bay depends on the system. In the so-called bound system (square schematism), each nave bay corresponds to two aisle bays and therefore two arcade arches. On the aisle side there is always one arch per bay.
Application
The arcade arch is a key term when reading and describing church buildings, for example in building history reports and heritage listings. In restoration it matters because the arches carry the load of the upper wall (and often the clerestory) down to the piers. Cracks in the arch or in the masonry above it can point to settlement or to thrust from the vault and should be assessed by a specialist.
Related Terms
- Arcade
- Round arch
- Pointed arch
- Clerestory
- Bay
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