A Glossary of the Medieval Church
Rayonnant : the development of French Gothic which produced multiple light windows with geometric tracery
reader : the third rank of minor orders of the ministry; they had a range of functions at different times and in different regions, which included conducting readings during services; also known as lector
rector : a parish priest, or corporate body such as a monastery or cathedral, that receives the benifice of a parish
Reformation : a loose term for a series of processes occurring between the 14th and 17th centuries whereby branches of the church in various European countries removed themselves from papal authority
regular : living according to a rule; can refer to living in a monastic community or a community of regular canons
regular canon : priest living in a community in accordance with a rule; term applied to the Augustinian canons
relic : the mortal remains, or any components thereof, of a saint; believed to embody the miraculous powers of the saint
reliquary : a container for the relics of a saint; many were expensively gilded and jewelled
Renaissance : with respect to architecture, a return to certain Classical forms, including the round arch
reredorter : the toilet block of a monastery
reredos : a wall or screen of wood or stone rising behind an altar
response : the second part of a sentence, often from a Psalm, sung after a versicle by the second part of the choir
resurrection : the resurrection of Christ from the dead on the third day after his death; commemorated on Easter Sunday
retrochoir : the area behind the high altar in a major church
Revelations : the last book of the Bible, predicting the events leading up to the end of the world
rib vault : a vault with bands of projecting stonework along the angles or groins
ridge rib : stone rib running longitudinally or tranversely at the top of a vault
Romanesque : style of architecture which preceded Gothic in Western Europe, characterised by round arches and simple ground plan
rood : a crucifix, usually wooden, suspended across the chancel arch above the rood screen; it could also be painted on the chancel arch
rood loft : a gallery built above the rood screen to carry the crucifix, or other images or candles
rood screen : a screen, either wooden or stone, separating the chancel of the church from the nave; it symbolically separated the congregation from the ritual domain of the priest
roof boss : an ornamental knob covering the intersection of ribs in a vault or on a ceiling
rosary : a series of prayers; to assist the memory, the prayers are counted off on a string of beads
rose window : a circular window with tracery arranged like the spokes of a wheel
Rota Romana : the papal court, founded in the 13th century
rubric : a heading written in red in a manuscript
Rule of St Augustine : a rule for religious community life first devised by a follower of St Augustine of Hippo in the 5th century; revived in the 11th century for use by the regular canons
Rule of St Benedict : a set of rules for monastic life devised by an Italian monk, Benedict of Nursia, in the 6th century; became the basis for Western monasticism
rural dean : a minister assisting a bishop to administer a subdivision of an archdeaconry; known on the Continent as an archpriest
rural deanery : a group of parishes forming a subdivision of an archdeaconry
sacrament : a visible sign of a sacred thing; in the late medieval church there were deemed to be seven sacraments, representing life cycle rituals; baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, ordination, marriage, confession and extreme unction
sacristy : a room for the storage of sacred vessels, liturgical books and priestly vestments; and where the clergy don their ceremonial attire; also known as a vestry
saint : a person whose virtue and holiness was considered to be proven and who was already with God; a saint was considered capable of interceding with God on behalf of a person who prayed to them, and of performing miracles
Sanctoral : the annual cycle of services based around the celebration of the feasts of the saints
sanctuary : the part of the church containing the high altar
Santiago : crusading order founded in Spain in the 12th century; unlike the other Spanish military orders its members were lay persons
scriptorium : a room where manuscripts were transcribed
scripture : the Bible
secular : 1) in relation to clergy, priests living in the world, not under a rule, who are bound by no vows and may possess property, working under the authority of a bishop: 2) more generally, refers to people who are not clergy, the laity
sedilia : a range of carved stone seats in the chancel of a church for the clergy at mass
see : properly, the official 'seat' of a bishop. Commonly used for the territorial unit of administration in the church, governed by a bishop; also known as a diocese
sequence : a short hymn-like choral sequence performed in the mass on certain feast days
Sext : the third of the Little Hours of divine office, recited at the sixth hour (11 am)
shrine : a reliquary, a sacred image of special importance or a holy place, especially one connected with pilgrimage
spire : a tall pyramidal, polygonal or conical structure arising from a tower
Spirituals : members of the Franciscan order devoted to maintaining the ideals of the founder with respect to money and property
squint : an angled slit in a wall allowing a view of the high altar from outside the sanctuary
stiff leaf : a form of carved decoration for column capitals consisting of foliate motifs projecting from the capital
stigmata : the wounds of Christ at the crucifixion; St Francis of Assisi was the first to claim to have miraculously received the stigmata
stole: item of mass vestments; a long rectangular piece of fabric worn around the neck and crossed on the chest by a priest, over the left shoulder be a deacon
sub-deacon : a member of the order of the ministry below that of deacon; considered to be the lowest of the major orders
surplice: item of processional vestments: loose fitting white garment not quite reaching to the feet.
synod : a formal meeting of representatives of various units of the church
table tomb : a tomb set above ground level in a box-like structure; also known as a tomb chest
Talmud : compilation of Jewish oral teachings, assembled in written form in the early centuries of the Christian era
Templars : order of military monks founded in 1119 to assist in the Crusades; also known as the Knights Templar or the Poor Knights of Christ
Temporal : the annual cycle of church feasts commemorating the life of Christ
Terce : the second of the Little Hours of divine office, recited at the third hour (8 am)
tertiary : an institution developed in the 13th century, whereby a lay person could live a life devoted to religion without being a full member of a community
Teutonic Order : military order founded in the Holy land after the Third Crusade
tiara : the special headdress of the pope, consisting of a pointed hat encircled by three crowns
tierceron : extra vaulting ribs which form a fan shape with the main structural ribs and terminate on a ridge rib
tithe : the tenth part of produce from the land and of other income, collected to support a parish priest and maintain his services
tomb chest : a tomb set above ground level in a box-like structure; also known as a table tomb
tomb slab : a plain or carved cover for a grave within a church, set at floor level
tracery : the ornamental intersecting stonework in the upper part of a window, screen or panel
transept : the transverse arm of a cross shaped church
transubstantiation : the conversion of the whole substance of the bread and wine of the Eucharist into the whole substance of the body and blood of Christ
tribune : an upper storey over an aisle, opening on to the nave; also called a gallery
triforium : an arcaded wall passage at a level above the arcade and below the clerestory
Trinity : the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
trope : a short series of words added as an embellishment to the text of the mass or divine office, to be sung by the choir
troper : a book containg tropes for the use of the choir at mass or divine office; after around the 12th century, a book containing sequences
True Cross : supposedly the actual cross on which Christ was crucified; there were fragments of it preserved as relics across Christendom
tunicle: item of mass vestments: fringed tunic with split sides; worn under the dalmatic by a bishop or as an upper garment by a sub-deacon
tunnel vault : continous vault of semicircular cross-section; also called barrel vault
Turin shroud : a cloth reputed to be the shroud in which Christ was wrapped after the crucifixion; modern scientific dating indicates that it is of medieval date
tympanum : the area between the lintel, or flat top, of a doorway and the arch above it
type : a story from the Old Testament which was held to prefigure a story from the New Testament
unction : the sacrament of absolution of sins performed by a priest for a person who is sick or at the point of death, sometimes called "extreme unction"; can also be used more generally for any rite which entails anointing with oil for religious purposes
undercroft : a vaulted room, sometimes underground, below an upper room
vault : an arched ceiling or roof of stone or brick, sometimes imitated in wood or plaster
vaulting : a roof constructed in the form of a arched bays
vaulting bay : the basic structural unit of a vaulted roof, consisting of a rectangle transected by the vaulting ribs
vaulting rib : a diagonal arched rib which supports the cell of a vault
vaulting springer : the supporting masonry for the base of a vaulting rib
versicle : a short sentence, often from the Psalms, sung antiphonally during worship; it is answered by a response from the other part of the choir
Vespers : the evening service of divine office, recited before dark
vestments : the ceremonial clothing of the clergy
vestry : a room for the storage of sacred vessels, liturgical books and priestly vestments; and where the clergy don their cermonial attire; also known as a sacristy
vicar : a priest employed as a substitute for a parish rector of for a member of a religious house, monastic, cathedral or collegiate, which had appropriated the revenue for the position
vicarage : the endowment for a vicar
vicars choral : clergy who performed the office in a cathedral of collegiate church in the absence of the prebendaries
Virgin Mary : the mother of Jesus, considered the most elevated of the saints and Queen of Heaven
visitation : the periodic inspection by a bishop of the temporal and spiritual affairs of a diocese which are under his control, or by an abbot or monastic official of houses within his jurisdiction
Vulgate : the Latin version of the Bible as retranslated by St Jerome; it became the stadard version for the Western Church
Waldensians : sect organised in the 12th century in Lyons; the founder became a mendicant preacher and expounded against the worldliness of the established church; the sect survives today
warden : head of a custody, or subsection of a province, within the Francisan order
waterleaf : a carved design for column capitals of simple sinuous foliate designs
white canons : popular name for the Premonstratensians, an order derived from the Augustinians and founded in 1121
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Compiled by Dianne Tillotson. Now part of her Medieval Writing web site.
Last updated 11/8/2004.