What is the apse in Gothic church?

In architecture, an apse is a curved or rounded section at one end of a building. You'll most often find an apse in a church. In Gothic, Romanesque, and Byzantine Christian churches, it's very common to find a semicircular area with a vaulted ceiling, often topped by a dome, on the east side of the building.



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The apse, being at the front of the church, is ornately decorated in order to create a feeling of the divine coming from heaven. As such, many were decorated with pictures of heavenly creatures or passages from the bible. Traditionally, churches have been constructed to look like crosses from an aerial view.

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Pre-Christian Roman basilicas are known for their apses, which tend to sit over the heads of magistrates. In modern-day architecture, apses are found in places of worship, most notably Christian churches. The apse is typically placed over the altar or clergy in order to attract attention to this spot.

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Some of the key architectural features of a cathedral are the narthex (main entrance area), the nave (main aisle leading to the front of the cathedral), and the apse (location of the altar).

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An aisle often surrounds the apse, running behind the altar. Called the ambulatory, this aisle accessed additional small chapels, called radiating chapels or chevets.

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This is generally where the altar is located, making the apse the most important section of the building. The word comes from the Latin apsis, arch or vault, and the Greek root hapsis, arch or loop.

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The nave elevation is composed of three parts: the nave arcade, the triforium (replacing the galleries), and the clerestory.

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The apse (the end opposite from the entrance) has radiating chapels where pilgrims could pause to pray and admire important relics.

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