Archivolt
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Archivolts and tympanum from Strasbourg Cathedral

Archivolts at Speyer Cathedral

An archivolt is an ornamental molding or band following the curve of the underside of an arch.¹ It is composed of bands of ornamental moldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a rectangular opening. The word is sometimes used to refer to the under-side or inner curve of the arch itself (more properly, the intrados).

The word originates in the Italian (or French) equivalents of the English words arch and vault.

Archivolte from the illustrated Dictionary of French Architecture of the 11th–16th centuries (1856)

(French)

Footnotes

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References

• University of Pittsburgh, Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture

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