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{{Short description|Central part of a church}} |
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{{Redirect3|Naves|For other uses of the names Nave and Naves, see [[Nave (disambiguation)]]. Nave is a common misspelling of [[knave]]}} |
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{{Other uses}} |
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:''Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry [[Cathedral diagram]].'' |
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{{Distinguish|Naveh (disambiguation)|Knave (disambiguation)}} |
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[[Image:NefStGeorges1.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Romanesque nave of the abbey church of Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville, [[Normandy]], France has a triforium passage above the aisle vaulting]] |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} |
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[[Image:StGeoBoschervilleDB80.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Plan]] |
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{{multipleimage |
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In [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] and [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] Christian [[abbey]], [[cathedral]] [[basilica]] and [[church]] [[architecture]], the '''nave''' is the central approach to the high [[altar]]. "Nave" ([[Latin | Medieval Latin]] ''navis'', "ship,") was probably suggested by the keel shape of its [[Vault (architecture)|vaulting]]. The nave of a church, whether Romanesque, Gothic or Classical, extends from the entry — which may have a separate vestibule, the [[narthex]] — to the [[wikt:Chancel|chancel]] and is flanked by lower [[aisles]] separated from the nave by an [[arcade (architecture)|arcade]]. If the aisles are high and of a width comparable to the central nave, the structure is sometimes said to have three naves. |
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| title = Plan of a large Latin cross church with nave highlighted |
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| image1 = Mittelschiff.svg |
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| caption1 = Strict definition |
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| image2 = Langhaus.svg |
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| caption2 = Broader definition |
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}} |
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[[File:Saint-Sulpice, Nave, Paris 20140515 1.jpg|thumbnail|The nave of the [[Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris|Saint-Sulpice Church]] in Paris]] |
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Though to a modern visitor the impressive nave seems to be the principal part of a Gothic church, ambitious churches were built in a series of campaigns as funds were available, working outward from the liturgically essential sanctuary, and many were consecrated before their nave was completed. Many naves were not completed to the initial plan, as tastes changed, and some naves were never completed at all. In Gothic architecture, the precise number of arcaded bays in the nave was not a material concern. |
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[[File:The halls of sarrat church.jpg|thumb|The nave of the [[Santa Monica Parish Church (Sarrat)|Santa Monica Parish Church]] in [[Sarrat]], Philippines]] |
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The '''nave''' ({{IPAc-en|n|eɪ|v}}) is the central part of a [[church architecture|church]], stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the [[transept]]s, or in a church without transepts, to the [[chancel]].<ref name="Brit"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= nave |encyclopedia= Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture |page=518 |editor-first= James |editor-last= Stevens Curl |edition= illustrated |publisher= Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn= 9780198606789}}</ref> When a church contains [[Aisle#Church architecture|side aisles]], as in a [[basilica]]-type building, the strict definition of the term "nave" is restricted to the central aisle.<ref name="Brit">{{Cite encyclopedia |author= ((The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) |encyclopedia= Encyclopaedia Britannica |title= Nave |edition= online |publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. }}</ref> In a broader, more [[colloquial]] sense, the nave includes all areas available for the [[Laity#Christian laity|lay]] worshippers, including the side-aisles and transepts.<ref name="CathEnc">Cram, Ralph Adams. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10724a.htm Nave]. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Accessed 13 July 2018</ref> Either way, the nave is distinct from the area reserved for the [[Choir (architecture)|choir]] and [[Clergy#Christianity|clergy]].<ref name="Brit"/> |
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The height of the nave provides space for [[clerestory]] windows above the aisle roofs, which give light to the interior, leaving the apse in shadow, as at the abbey of Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville (''illustration, above right''). The architectural antecedents of this construction lay in the secular Roman [[basilica]], a kind of covered [[stoa]] sited adjacent to a [[Forum (Roman)|forum]], where magistrates met and public business was transacted. |
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==Description== |
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The nave extends from the entry—which may have a separate vestibule (the [[narthex]])—to the chancel and may be flanked by lower [[Aisle#Church architecture|side-aisles]]<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.answers.com/topic/nave |title= Nave| website= [[Answers.com]]| access-date= 11 February 2015}}</ref> separated from the nave by an [[arcade (architecture)|arcade]]. If the aisles are high and of a width comparable to the central nave, the structure is sometimes said to have three naves. It provides the central approach to the high [[altar]]. |
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==Etymology== |
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The term ''nave'' is from {{lang|la|navis}}, the [[Latin]] word for ''ship'', an early Christian symbol of the [[Christian Church|Church]] as a whole, with a possible connection to the "[[Ship of St. Peter]]" or the [[Ark of Noah]].<ref name="Brit"/><ref name="CathEnc"/><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/ship.htm| title= Ship as a Symbol of the Church (Bark of St. Peter)| website= JesusWalk.com| access-date= 11 February 2015}}</ref> The term may also have been suggested by the keel shape of the [[Vault (architecture)|vaulting]] of a church. In many [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] and [[Baltic states|Baltic]] countries a model ship is commonly found hanging in the nave of a church,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sidneyherald.com/archives/ship-hangs-in-balance-at-pella-evangelical-lutheran-church/article_9485d09f-e314-5f3e-b071-0cf8b2059dd7.html|title=Ship hangs in balance at Pella Evangelical Lutheran Church|date=10 June 2008|work= [[Sidney Herald]]| location= [[Sidney, Montana]] |access-date=3 January 2016}}</ref> and in some languages the same word means both 'nave' and 'ship', as for instance Danish {{lang|da|[[wikt:skib|skib]]}}, Swedish {{lang|sv|[[wikt:skepp|skepp]]}}, Dutch {{lang|nl|[[wikt:schip|schip]]}} or Spanish {{lang|es|nave}}. |
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In Romanesque constructions, where a gallery was required to allow passage above the aisles, an addition to the elevation of the nave was inserted, called a [[triforium]]. In later styles the triforium was eliminated, the aisles lowered and great expanses of stained glass took the place of the clerestory windows, as at Bath Abbey (''illustration, left''). |
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[[Image:SanLorenzodiFirenze02.jpg|thumb|right|The Early Renaissance nave of [[Filippo Brunelleschi|Brunelleschi]]'s [[Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze|San Lorenzo, Florence]], built in the 1420s]] |
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The '''crossing''' is the part of the nave that also belongs to the [[transepts]] that intersect its space. The crossing may be surmounted by a tower or spire, or by a [[dome]] in Eastern churches, a feature that was reintroduced to the West at the [[Renaissance]], first in [[Filippo Brunelleschi]]'s San Lorenzo (''illustration right''). Brunelleschi restored the original Roman form of the basilica and consciously revived Roman details, such as the flat coffered ceiling. Clerestory windows still light San Lorenzo's nave, setting apart in dimness the crossing, with its small dome. In other contexts, lanterns and openings above the transept might bathe the crossing in more light instead. The crossing may be further distinguished from the nave by the rhythm of its architecture: wider-spaced piers supporting the higher vaulting of the transepts. |
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==History== |
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The nave, ecclesiastically considered, was the area reserved for the non-clergy (the "laity"), while the [[Apse|chancel and choir]] were reserved for the clergy, and a [[rood screen]] (''cancellus'') separated the sanctuary from the nave. Rood screens were swept away by Protestant reformers in the 16th century. Fixed [[pew]]s in the nave are a comparatively modern, Protestant innovation. And on weekdays the large open area often served for the town marketplace, political meetings, places of various trades including, on some occasions, even that of prostitution. Often smelling of animal dung and human urine, naves were not very clean places. Hence, rood screens aka jubes were designed to separate the more sacred areas of the cathedral and keep out the unwashed and unholy. |
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[[File:Affresco dell'aspetto antico della basilica costantiniana di san pietro nel IV secolo.jpg|thumb|A fresco showing Old St Peter's Basilica, built in the 4th century: the central area, illuminated by high windows, is flanked by aisles.]] |
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The earliest churches were built when builders were familiar with the form of the Roman [[basilica]], a public building for business transactions. It had a wide central area, with aisles separated by columns, and with windows near the ceiling. [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]] in Rome is an early church which had this form. It was built in the 4th century on the orders of Roman emperor [[Constantine I]], and replaced in the 16th century.<ref name="CathEnc"/><ref name="Brit"/> |
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The nave, the main body of the building, is the section set apart for the laity, while the [[chancel]] is reserved for the clergy. In medieval churches the nave was separated from the chancel by the [[rood screen]]; these, being elaborately decorated, were notable features in European churches from the 14th to the mid-16th century.<ref name="CathEnc"/><ref name="Brit"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia| title= Rood screen| url= https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/509174/rood-screen| encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica| access-date= 11 February 2015}}</ref> |
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* Highest vaulted nave: [[Cathedral of Milan]], 45 metres. ([[Beauvais Cathedral]] is 46 metres (150 feet) high in the choir.) |
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Medieval naves were divided into bays, the repetition of form giving an effect of great length; and the vertical element of the nave was emphasized. During the Renaissance, in place of dramatic effects there were more balanced proportions.<ref name="Brit"/> |
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==Alternate meanings== |
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*According to an [[archaic]] definition, a nave is one's navel |
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*A nave can also refer to the hub of a wheel, which is the small knob that protrudes from the wheel's center. |
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*'''Nave''' also refers to the hub of a [[wheel]], as in "bowl the round nave" from a subplay of ''[[Hamlet]]''. This can lead to confusion of the architectural nave (''supra'') with the crossing of the same with the [[transept]]. |
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By the 1300s, the maintenance and decoration of the nave of parish churches was the responsibility of the parishioners; the clergy were responsible for keeping the chancel in repair.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Parish Life in Mediaeval England |journal=Masterpieces of Catholic Literature in Summary Form | location=New York|publisher=Harper & Row|date=January 1965 |volume=2 |pages=42 |url=https://archive.org/details/masterpiecesofca0000unse_y9m6/page/n5/mode/2up}}</ref> |
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* [[Buckfast Abbey]] - image of the nave |
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* [[Bristol Cathedral]] - image of the nave |
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* Longest nave in the world is in Spain: [[Valle de los Caídos#Basilica, cross and abbey|Basílica de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos]], {{convert|262|m|abbr=on}} total; divided via added partition to not exceed that of [[St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's]] in Rome<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.feelmadrid.com/valleyofthefallen.html |title= The Valley of the Fallen|access-date= 11 November 2019}}</ref> |
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* [[St Mary Redcliffe]] - image of the nave |
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* Longest nave in [[Denmark]]: [[Aarhus Cathedral]], {{convert|93|m|abbr=on}} |
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* Longest nave in [[Ireland]]: [[St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin]], {{convert|91|m|abbr=on}}, externally |
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* Highest vaulted nave: [[Beauvais Cathedral]], France, {{convert|48|m|abbr=on}}, but only one bay of the nave was actually built; however, choir and transepts were completed to the same height. |
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* Highest completed nave: [[St. Peter's Basilica]], [[Vatican City]], {{convert|46|m|abbr=on}} |
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* [[Cathedral architecture]] |
* [[Cathedral architecture]] |
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* [[Cathedral diagram]] |
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*[[List of highest church naves]] |
* [[List of highest church naves]] |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Subject bar|portal1=Architecture|portal2=Christianity|commons=yes|commons-search=Category:Naves}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Church architecture]] |
[[Category:Church architecture]] |
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[[Category:Arches and vaults]] |
[[Category:Arches and vaults]] |
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[[ca:Nau (arquitectura)]] |
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[[cs:Hlavní loď]] |
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[[da:Kirkeskib (bygningsdel)]] |
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[[de:Kirchenschiff]] |
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[[es:Nave (arquitectura)]] |
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[[eo:Navo]] |
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[[fr:Nef]] |
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[[it:Navata]] |
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[[nl:Schip (bouwkunst)]] |
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[[no:Midtskip]] |
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[[nn:Kyrkjeskip]] |
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[[pl:Nawa]] |
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[[pt:Nave (arquitectura)]] |
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[[ro:Navă (arhitectură)]] |
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[[ru:Неф]] |
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[[sl:Cerkvena ladja]] |
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[[fi:Laiva (arkkitehtuuri)]] |
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[[sv:Mittskepp]] |
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[[uk:Нава]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:01, 15 December 2024
Plan of a large Latin cross church with nave highlighted
Strict definition
Broader definition
The nave (/neɪv/) is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel.[1][2] When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type building, the strict definition of the term "nave" is restricted to the central aisle.[1] In a broader, more colloquial sense, the nave includes all areas available for the lay worshippers, including the side-aisles and transepts.[3] Either way, the nave is distinct from the area reserved for the choir and clergy.[1]
Description
[edit]The nave extends from the entry—which may have a separate vestibule (the narthex)—to the chancel and may be flanked by lower side-aisles[4] separated from the nave by an arcade. If the aisles are high and of a width comparable to the central nave, the structure is sometimes said to have three naves. It provides the central approach to the high altar.
Etymology
[edit]The term nave is from navis, the Latin word for ship, an early Christian symbol of the Church as a whole, with a possible connection to the "Ship of St. Peter" or the Ark of Noah.[1][3][5] The term may also have been suggested by the keel shape of the vaulting of a church. In many Nordic and Baltic countries a model ship is commonly found hanging in the nave of a church,[6] and in some languages the same word means both 'nave' and 'ship', as for instance Danish skib, Swedish skepp, Dutch schip or Spanish nave.
History
[edit]
The earliest churches were built when builders were familiar with the form of the Roman basilica, a public building for business transactions. It had a wide central area, with aisles separated by columns, and with windows near the ceiling. Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is an early church which had this form. It was built in the 4th century on the orders of Roman emperor Constantine I, and replaced in the 16th century.[3][1]
The nave, the main body of the building, is the section set apart for the laity, while the chancel is reserved for the clergy. In medieval churches the nave was separated from the chancel by the rood screen; these, being elaborately decorated, were notable features in European churches from the 14th to the mid-16th century.[3][1][7]
Medieval naves were divided into bays, the repetition of form giving an effect of great length; and the vertical element of the nave was emphasized. During the Renaissance, in place of dramatic effects there were more balanced proportions.[1]
By the 1300s, the maintenance and decoration of the nave of parish churches was the responsibility of the parishioners; the clergy were responsible for keeping the chancel in repair.[8]
Record-holders
[edit]- Longest nave in the world is in Spain: Basílica de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos, 262 m (860 ft) total; divided via added partition to not exceed that of St. Peter's in Rome[9]
- Longest nave in Denmark: Aarhus Cathedral, 93 m (305 ft)
- Longest nave in England: Winchester Cathedral, 170 m (560 ft)
- Longest nave in Ireland: St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, 91 m (299 ft), externally
- Longest nave in France: Bourges Cathedral, 91 m (299 ft), including choir where a crossing would be if there were transepts
- Longest nave in Germany: Cologne cathedral, 58 m (190 ft), including two bays between the towers
- Longest nave in Italy: St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, 91 m (299 ft), in four bays
- Longest cathedral nave in Spain: Seville, 60 m (200 ft), in five bays
- Longest nave in the United States: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, United States (Episcopal), 70 m (230 ft)
- Highest vaulted nave: Beauvais Cathedral, France, 48 m (157 ft), but only one bay of the nave was actually built; however, choir and transepts were completed to the same height.
- Highest completed nave: St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, 46 m (151 ft)
See also
[edit]- Abbey, with architectural discussion and ground plans
- Cathedral architecture
- Cathedral diagram
- List of highest church naves
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Nave". Encyclopaedia Britannica (online ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
- ^ Stevens Curl, James, ed. (2006). "nave". Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 518. ISBN 9780198606789.
- ^ a b c d Cram, Ralph Adams. Nave. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Accessed 13 July 2018
- ^ "Nave". Answers.com. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ "Ship as a Symbol of the Church (Bark of St. Peter)". JesusWalk.com. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ "Ship hangs in balance at Pella Evangelical Lutheran Church". Sidney Herald. Sidney, Montana. 10 June 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ "Rood screen". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ "Parish Life in Mediaeval England". Masterpieces of Catholic Literature in Summary Form. 2. New York: Harper & Row: 42. January 1965.
- ^ "The Valley of the Fallen". Retrieved 11 November 2019.
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