Clerestory (Catholic Encyclopedia article)
Thomas Poole · 1913
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Description
A clerestory once meant any traceried opening or window in a church, in an aisle, tower, cloister, or screen. Now it means the windows in an aisled nave, or the wall holding the high windows. Sometimes these windows are very small, mere quatrefoils or spherical triangles. Yet in large buildings they matter greatly for beauty and utility, above all where nave and side aisles allow light to enter from above the aisle roofs into the church body.
Fergusson's theory holds that Greek temple interiors were lit by a clerestory, similar inside to those of great Egyptian temples but adapted outside to a sloping roof. Countersinking into the roof made three ridges where light entered, while the roof's regular shape and ridge lines stayed intact between openings. All surviving remains and ancient descriptions support the theory, the article says, though Simpson regards it as extremely improbable.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Thomas Poole |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 1913 |
| COLLECTION | REFERENCE |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 1 KB |
| LICENSE | PUBLIC_DOMAIN |
| RIGHTS | PUBLIC DOMAIN |
| SOURCE | New Advent — Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) |