Projecting parapet built on the top of walls and towers with openings for the vertical discharge of missiles on assailants below. Derived from the Old French words macher (“crush”) and col (“neck”).

Pointed polygonal spire in the form of a pyramid, widely used in Russian church architecture in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Has more in common with Gothic steeples than anything in Byzan...

Part of a building that juts out, especially in facades of the Baroque period. Derived from the Italian ri salto, meaning “projection.”

Sanctuary in the eastern section of an Orthodox church, where the most important ceremonies take place. Divided from the main space of the church by an altar screen or iconostasis.

Central part of a church, extending from the chancel to the narthex and flanked by a series of columns or pillars. Derived from the Latin navis, meaning “ship,” because of the keel shape of its vault...