An interlaced arch frieze is an arch frieze whose round arches cut across each other, producing crossing arches. The motif belongs above all to Romanesque architecture, with Normandy as a well-known centre. In Dutch it is called a kruisboogfries.
How it is built up
An ordinary round-arch frieze consists of a row of small arches sitting neatly side by side, each springing from a corbel or a small shaft. In an interlaced frieze the springing points are set further apart than a single arch would span: each arch reaches across two supports instead of one, so the arches run over one another. Where two arches intersect, a pointed shape appears of its own accord.
That last point is what makes the motif interesting historically. The intersection of round arches is often cited as one of the forms from which the idea of the pointed arch may have grown — the transition from Romanesque to Gothic is already visible in this ornament.
Where you find it
- Church towers and facades, as a horizontal band beneath the eaves cornice or as a division between two storeys
- Blind arcading, where the motif is not free-standing but recessed into the masonry or stonework
- Neo-Romanesque buildings of the nineteenth century, where the motif is deliberately quoted
The frieze is primarily decorative, but decoration with a job to do: it breaks up a large blank wall and lays down a shadow line that divides the building horizontally.
In restoration
Interlaced friezes sit high up and project — exactly the combination that accelerates weathering. Where the frieze was originally carved, often only the rough form survives. Points to check:
- Confirm the arches are still shedding water at the top; rain running behind the frieze damages the masonry beyond.
- Point with a mortar softer than the stone, so that damage concentrates in the joint and not in the carving.
- Replace only what is structurally necessary; weathered but stable ornament is worth more than a crisp replica.
Related terms
- Arch frieze
- Frieze
- Arch
- Chevron frieze
- Blind niche
- Gothic
More guides and plans available at fredsdiyplans.com