A groin vault is a vault formed when two barrel vaults intersect at right angles; along the lines where the vault surfaces meet, sharp edges called groins are formed. It is one of the oldest forms of the cross vault.
Application
The groin vault covers a square or rectangular space (bay) and gathers the load into the four corners, so it can rest on piers or columns instead of continuous walls. Characteristics:
- Groins — the projecting edges along the intersection lines; in a groin vault these are not separate load-bearing ribs but the natural cutting lines of the masonry.
- Point load — the forces are led to the corners, allowing large wall openings.
- Construction — the vault was built over a timber centring (formwork).
The groin vault differs from the rib vault: in the latter the groins are replaced by separate, load-bearing stone ribs, between which the thin vault surfaces are built. The groin vault is characteristic of Romanesque architecture; the rib vault of Gothic.
Related terms
- Vault
- Cross vault
- Rib vault
- Barrel vault
- Transverse arch
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