Chapter 1

Question 1

Abbot

Answer 1

an individual responsible for the well-being of his monastic community

Question 2

Ambulatory

Answer 2

A curved walkway, usually in the east end of a church, that gives access to areas or chapels behind the crossing.

Question 3

Anastasis

Answer 3

A Greek term meaning resurrection that refers to the tomb of Christ (Anastasis Rotunda) in Jerusalem. It also refers to a type of Byzantine image that shows Christ descending to hell to bring out people who were thought to believe in him before his birth (e.g., Hebrew kings David and Solomon).

Question 4

Apostles

Answer 4

In the Christian tradition, the twelve Apostles are those who followed Christ during his lifetime. They are sometimes referred to as Christ’s disciples.

Question 5

Apse

Answer 5

A projection from the wall of a building that is usually semicircular in shape. In a Christian church, the altar area is often located in or in front of the apse.

Question 6

Arianism

Answer 6

The belief formulated by Arius, a priest from Alexandria (d. 336), that because Christ was a separate being made by God, Christ and God were not of the same substance and Christ was not eternal like God.

Question 7

Baptizand

Answer 7

A person who is being baptized.

Question 8

Barrel Vaults

Answer 8

A vault in the shape of a long half-cylinder.

Question 9

Basilica

Answer 9

An ancient Roman civic building with a large, open central area or hall that was adapted by early Christians into a church plan. Basilicas were the most popular church plan in the medieval world.

Question 10

Cathedral

Answer 10

The church of the bishop of a city or region.

Question 11

Cenobitic

Answer 11

Adjective describing monasteries where monks and nuns live communally.

Question 12

Christian Gospels

Answer 12

The biblical books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John that narrate Christ’s life.

Question 13

Christus Triumphans

Answer 13

A Latin term meaning “triumphant Christ” that refers to an image of Christ alive on the cross in order to show his triumph over the physical pain and eventual death caused by crucifixion.

Question 14

Crux Gemmata

Answer 14

A Latin term meaning jeweled cross, which in a medieval Christian context most often represented the heavenly Jerusalem, a place prophesied in the Hebrew book of Ezekiel and in the Christian Book of Revelation.

Question 15

Cubicula

Answer 15

A small chapel, often decorated with painted imagery, that housed the graves of wealthier Romans in the catacombs.

Question 16

Epiphany

Answer 16

Derives from a Greek word meaning appearance or manifestation. In a Christian context, it refers to the story told in Matthew 2:1–12 when Christ’s birth is revealed to the Magi and they travel to give the Christ child, whose location is indicated by a bright star, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Question 17

Four Evangelists

Answer 17

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors of the Christian Gospels, are often referred to as the four evangelists because their written accounts were intended to spread the Christian message with the world.

Question 18

Groin Vaults

Answer 18

A vault formed by two intersecting barrel vaults.

Question 19

Holy Land

Answer 19

For medieval Christians, this was Jerusalem and the sites associated with Christ’s life. In contemporary usage, the Holy Land usually refers to Israel and Palestine, places where sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are located.

Question 20

Inhumation

Answer 20

The burial of an intact body that has not been cremated.

Question 21

Labarum

Answer 21

An object made of gold and jewels consisting of wreath overlaid with the first two letters of Christ’s name in Greek—a chi (χ) and a rho (ρ). The labarum was painted on battle standards, most notably on those of Constantine’s army.

Question 22

Liturgy

Answer 22

The specific ritual practices of a religion.

Question 23

Lunette

Answer 23

A flat semicircular area, usually on a wall.

Question 24

Martyrium

Answer 24

A structure built to enshrine and provide ritual access to the relics of a martyr.

Question 25

Mausoleums

Answer 25

Monumental tombs or tomb buildings.

Question 26

Monasteries

Answer 26

A site with one or more buildings where monks or nuns live in retreat from the world.

Question 27

Mystery Cult

Answer 27

Religions popular in ancient Rome that practiced secret initiation ceremonies or secret symbolism.

Question 28

Narthex

Answer 28

The entrance porch of a church that precedes the nave.

Question 29

Nave Arcades

Answer 29

A series of arches along the nave of a church that separate the nave from the side aisles.

Question 30

Orant

Answer 30

A praying person shown with their hands held up and open, a position that Christians believed made them open to the word of God.

Question 31

Porphyry

Answer 31

A hard purple stone imported from Egypt and reserved for imperial use.

Question 32

Putti

Answer 32

Pudgy industrious cherubs.

Question 33

Revetment

Answer 33

Decorative slabs of marble attached to the walls.

Question 34

Stelae

Answer 34

A commemorative stone slab or column.

Question 35

Tesserae

Answer 35

Individual pieces of cut stone or glass used to create mosaics.

Question 36

Theotokos

Answer 36

A Greek term meaning God-bearer that refers to the Christian theological concept maintaining that, because Christ and God are of the same substance, when the Virgin Mary gave birth to Christ, she also bore God.

Question 37

Transept

Answer 37

The short arm of a church that crosses the longer nave, usually (but not always) at the east end, and sometimes encompasses the church’s choir.

Question 38

Triumphal Arch

Answer 38

A large arch, recalling Roman imperial arches, that frames the apse of a church.

Question 39

Typology

Answer 39

A medieval Christian practice involving the pairing of Hebrew and Christian stories from the Bible in an attempt to demonstrate the ways that Hebrew stories prefigure the Christian.