Nave of Lisbon Cathedral with a barrel vaulted soffit. Note the absence of clerestory windows, all of the light being provided by the Rose window at one end of the vault.

A Barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design. The barrel vault is the simplest form of a vault: effectively a series of arches placed side by side, i.e., one after another. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 557 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Barrel vault Vault (architecture) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (960x1280, 557 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Barrel vault Vault (architecture) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or Sé de Lisboa is the cathedral of Lisbon and the oldest church in the city. ... Soffit (from French soffite, Italian soffitto, formed as a ceiling; from suffictus for suffixus, Latin suffigere, to fix underneath). ... Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... The rose window in Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England, at the western end of the nave. ... The Lierne vault of the Liebfrauenkirche, Mühlacker 1482. ... Isometric view of a typical arch An arch is a curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight (e. ...

As with all arch-based constructions, there is an outward thrust generated against the walls underneath a barrel vault. There are several mechanisams how this thrust can be undone. One is, of course, to make the walls excedingly thick and strong - this is most primitive and sometimes unacceptable method. A more elegant method is to build two or more vaults parallel to each other; the forces of their outward thrusts will thus negate each other. This method was most often used in construction of churches, where several vaulted naves ran parallel down the length of building. However, the outer wals of the outermost vault would still have to be quite strong or reinforced by buttressing. The third and most elegant mechanism to resist the lateral thrust was to create an intersection of two barrel vaults at right angles, thus forming a groin vault. Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... A buttress (and mostly concealed, a flying buttress) supporting walls at the Palace of Westminster Four different types of buttress: diagonal, on the statues plinth; an ordinary buttress supporting a flying buttress, to the right of the statue; a small ordinary buttress to the right side of the picture... Gårdslösa Church, Öland, Sweden A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is a vault produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. ...

Barrel vaults are known from Ancient Egypt, and were used extensively in Roman architecture. They were also used to replace the Cloaca Maxima with a system of underground sewers. Early barrel vault designs occur in northern Europe, Turkey, Morocco and other regions. In medieval Europe the barrel vault was an important element of stone construction in monasteries, castles, tower houses and other structures. This form of design is observed in cellars, crypts, long hallways, cloisters and even great halls. Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... The Romans adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for their own purposes, which were so different from Greek buildings as to create a new architectural style. ... The Cloaca Maxima was one of the worlds earliest sewage systems. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Monastery of St. ... For other uses, see Castle (disambiguation). ... A tower house stands on a hillock near Quin along the back road from Limerick to Ennis. ... A cellar is a storage room built below ground level (usually under a house), primarily for the storage of food and drink (especially wine) for use throughout the year. ... Crypt is also a commonly used name of water trumpets, aquatic plants. ... Hall is a term often used to refer to several different types of room in a house or a building. ... Cloister of Saint Trophimus, in Arles, France A cloister (from latin claustrum) is a part of cathedral, monastic and abbey architecture. ... A great hall was the main room of a royal palace, a noblemans castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. ...

Theory and early history

Barrel vaulting was known and employed by early civilisations, including Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, but apparently it was not a very popular or very common method of construction. The technique probably evolved out of necessity to roof buildings with masonry elements such as bricks or stone blocks in areas where timber and wood were scarce. The earliest known example of a vault is a Tunnel vault found under the Sumerian ziggurat at Nippur in Babylonia, ascribed to about 4000 BC, which was built of burnt bricks amalgamated with clay mortar. The earliest tunnel vaults in Egypt are found at Requagnah and Denderah, circa 3500 BC; these were built in sun-dried brick in three rings over passages descending to tombs: in these cases, as the span of the vault was only two meters. In these early instances, the barrel vault was chiefly used for underground structures such as drains and sewers, though several buildings of the great Late Egyptian mortuary palace-temple of Ramesseum were also vaulted in this way.^[1] Recent archaeological evidence discovered at the Morgantina site (in the province of Enna) shows that the aboveground barrel vault was known and used in Hellenistic Sicily in third century BC, indicating that the technique was also known to Ancient Greeks. Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran. ... Sumer (or Å umer, Sumerian ki-en-gir[1], Egyptian Sanhar[2]) was one of the early civilizations of the Ancient Near East, located in the southern part of Mesopotamia (southeastern Iraq) from the time of the earliest records in the mid 4th millennium BC until the rise of Babylonia in... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The city of Nippur [nipoor] (Sumerian Nibru, Akkadian Nibbur) was one of the most ancient of all the Babylonian cities of which we have any knowledge, the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god, Enlil, ruler of the cosmos subject to An alone. ... Babylonia, named for its capital city, Babylon, was an ancient state in the south part of Mesopotamia (in modern Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ... Mortar holding weathered bricks. ... An old brick wall in English bond laid with alternating courses of headers and Brick is an artificial stone made by forming clay into rectangular blocks which are hardened, either by burning in a kiln or sometimes, in warm countries, by sun-drying. ... A tomb is a small building (or vault) for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. ... Span is a section between two intermediate supports of a bridge. ... Image of a sewer pipe // Function Sewers transport wastewater from buildings to treatment facilities. ... A mortuary is a cold chamber used to keep the deceased from seriously decomposing; this practice exists for the sake of recognition of the deceased and to allow time to prepare for burial. ... The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an ancient Greek Doric temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... Ramesseum from the air - showing pylons and secondary buildings Ramesseum: Hypostyle hall The Ramesseum is the memorial temple (or mortuary temple) of Pharaoh Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great, also spelt Ramses and Rameses). It is located in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt, across the River Nile from the modern... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Panoramic photo of Morgantinas agora on the Serra Orlando ridge, looking NE. The conical peak of Cittadella is visible in the center background. ... Enna, the ancient Henna, is located in the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian, Sicilian and Spanish, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 km² and 5 million inhabitants. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ...

Ancient Romans most probably inherited their knowledge of barrel vaulting from Etruscans. Romans were the first to use this building method extensively on large-scale projects, and were probably the first to use scaffolding to aid them in construction of vaults spanning over widths greater than anything seen before. However, Roman builders gradually began to prefer the use of groin vault; though more complex to erect, this type of vault did not require heavy, thick walls for support (see bellow), and thus allowed for more spacious buildings with greater openings and much more light inside, such as thermae. The Etruscan civilization existed in Etruria and the Po valley in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic. ... Scaffold may refer to: scaffolding as used in construction A gallows The Scaffold, UK musical group Scaffold - GNOME Development Environment Scaffold (Protein ECM) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Gårdslösa Church, Öland, Sweden A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is a vault produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. ... Roman public baths in Bath, England. ...

After the fall of the Roman empire, few buildings large enough to require much in the way of vaulting were built for several centuries. In the early Romanesque period, a return to stone barrel vaults was seen for the first great cathedrals; their interiors were fairly dark, due to thick, heavy walls needed for support of vault. One of the largest and most famous churches enclosed from above by a vast barrel vault was the church of Cluny Abbey, built between eleventh and twelfth century. The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... Romanesque St. ... The abbey today The Abbey of Cluny (or Cluni, or Clugny) was founded on 2 September 909 by William I, Count of Auvergne, who installed Abbot Berno and placed the abbey under the immediate authority of Pope Sergius III. The Abbey and its constellation of dependencies soon came to exemplify...

In thirteenth and fourteenth century, with the advance of the new Gothic style, barrel vaulting became almost extinct in constructions of great Gothic cathedrals; groin vaults reinforced by stone ribs were mostly used in the beginning, and later on various types of spectacular, ornate and complex medieval vaults were developed. However, with the coming of Renaissance and Baroque, and revived interest in art and architecture of antiquity, barrel vaulting was re-introduced on a truly grandiose scale, and employed in constructions of many famous buildings and churches, such as Basilica di Sant'Andrea di Mantova by Leone Battista Alberti, San Giorgio Maggiore by Andrea Palladio, and perhaps most glorious of all, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, where a huge barrel vault spans the 27 meters wide nave.^[2] Besides its original meaning, of or relating to the Goths (Gothos, Getas), a Germanic tribe and thus the Gothic language and the Gothic alphabet, the word Gothic has been used to refer to distinctly different things: From a Renaissance perspective (originally Italian, gotico, with connotations of rough, barbarous), it conveyed... Gårdslösa Church, Öland, Sweden A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is a vault produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. ... Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... The Basilica di SantAndrea is a Renaissance church in Mantua, Lombardy (Italy). ... Statue of Leon Battista Alberti. ... San Giorgio Maggiore. ... Andrea Palladio. ... The Basilica of Saint Peter from Castel SantAngelo. ...

Engineering issues

Pointed barrel vault showing direction of lateral forces.

With a barrel vault design the vectors of pressure result in a downward force on the crown while the lower portions of the arches realise a lateral force pushing outwards.^[3] As an outcome this form of design is subject to failure unless the sides are anchored or buttressed to very heavy building elements or substantial earthwork sidings. For example, at Muchalls Castle in Scotland adjacent walls to the barrel vaulted chambers are up to 4,6 meters thick, adding the buttressing strength needed to secure the curved design.^[4] Well documented cases exist of the long term stress effects on inadequately laterally supported barrel vaults such as the seventeenth century church of Guimarei.^[5] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (719x735, 170 KB) View of a barrel vault from above showing forces File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Barrel vault Talk:Barrel vault Vault (architecture) ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (719x735, 170 KB) View of a barrel vault from above showing forces File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Barrel vault Talk:Barrel vault Vault (architecture) ... Muchalls Castle, Kincardineshire Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of historic Kincardineshire, Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... CoA Guimarei is a rural parish in Portugal with a population of 736 (2001 census), and an area of 6. ...

The inherent difficulty of adequately lighting barrel vaulted structures has been widely acknowledged.^[6] The intrinsic engineering issue is the need to avoid fenestration punctures in stonework barrel vaults. Such openings could compromise the integrity of the entire arch system. Thus the Romanesque medieval builders had to resort to techniques of small windows, large buttresses, or other forms of interior wall cross-bracing to achieve the desired lighting outcomes. In many of the monasteries a natural solution was cloisters which could have high barrel-vaulted construction with an open courtyard to allow ample lighting. A window is an opening in an otherwise solid and opaque surface through which light and, sometimes, air can pass. ...

Since 1996 structural engineers have applied Newtonian mechanics to calculate numeric stress loads for ancient stonework barrel vaults.^[7] These analyses have typically used a finite element algorithm to calculate gravity induced stresses from the self weight of an arched system. In fact, for structural engineers, analysis of the barrel vault has become a benchmark test of a structural engineering computer model "because of the complex membrane and inextensional bending states of stress" involved. Structural engineer is an individual who practices structural engineering. ... Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, and natural philosopher, regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science. ... Finite element analysis (FEA) or finite element method (FEM) is a numerical technique for solution of boundary-value problems. ... A computer simulation or a computer model is a computer program which attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system. ...

In terms of comparison to other vaulting techniques the barrel vault is inherently a weaker design compared to the more complex groin vault. The barrel vault structure must rest on long walls creating less stable lateral stress, whereas the groin vault design can direct stresses almost purely vertically on the apexes.^[8] Gårdslösa Church, Öland, Sweden A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is a vault produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. ...

Early occurrences

View of the interior of the Cloaca Maxima sewer in Rome. Construction started ca. 600 BCE

• Beverston Castle, England, undercroft below south tower of west range
• Cathedral of Cortona, Tuscany
• Dunnottar Castle, Scotland, Whigs Vault
• Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, Italy, numerous occurrences at this early second century AD site
• Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy ( circa 500 AD)
• Muchalls Castle, Scotland, crypt and long hall
• Myres Castle, Scotland, cellars
• Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda, Spain, cloisters of this twelfth century monastery
• Royal Granary, Meknes, Morocco (17th century)

ImageMetadata File history File links Cloaca_Maxima_2. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Cloaca_Maxima_2. ... The Cloaca Maxima was one of the worlds earliest sewage systems. ... The Common Era (CE), is the period of measured time beginning with the year 1 on the Gregorian calendar. ... Beverston Castle south tower of western range Beverston Castle, also known as Beverstone Castle, was originally constructed as a medieval stone fortress and is situated in the village of Beverston, Gloucestershire, England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... An undercroft is a cellar or underground room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... André Rieu Concert in Piazza Della Republica, Cortona Cortona is a small town in Tuscany, Italy. ... Dunnottar Castle Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky outcrop on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... The Lierne vault of the Liebfrauenkirche, Mühlacker 1482. ... The villas recreation of Canopus, a resort near Alexandria, as seen from the temple of Serapis Theatrical masks of Tragedy and Comedy in refined mosaic, from the villa (Capitoline Museum, Rome) The Villa of the Emperor Hadrian at Tivoli, Italy, even in ruined condition is one of the most... Tivoli, the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, some 20 km from Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river, where it issues from the Sabine hills. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Ravenna is a city and commune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. ... Muchalls Castle, Kincardineshire Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of historic Kincardineshire, Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... Crypt is also a commonly used name of water trumpets, aquatic plants. ... Myres Castle is a Scottish castle situated in Fife near the village of Auchtermuchty (grid reference NO241109). ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... A cellar is a storage room built below ground level (usually under a house), primarily for the storage of food and drink (especially wine) for use throughout the year. ... Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda, outer courtyard Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda is an early Cistercian Monastery in the Aragon region of Spain. ... Cloister of Saint Trophimus, in Arles, France A cloister (from latin claustrum) is a part of cathedral, monastic and abbey architecture. ... Monastery of St. ... Medresa Bou Inania in Meknes Meknes (Arabic: مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. ...

Modern examples

There are numerous contemporary examples of barrel vault design in Victorian and modern architecture, including: Manchester Town Hall is an example of Victorian architecture found in Manchester, UK. The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly in the Victorian era. ... Modern architecture is a broad term given to a number of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of ornament, that first arose around 1900. ...

• Belfast, Northern Ireland, City Hall Banquet room with barrel vault ceiling 1896-1906, Donegal Square^[9]
• Huntington Bank Building, Cleveland, Ohio, 1924 design
• Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, spanning a width of 174 feet.
• Melbourne, Australia, Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre, made of polycarbonate
• The Indiana University new library^[10]

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Motto: [citation needed] (French for God and my right)2 Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, NI Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair... State Banquet. ... Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. ... Nickname: The Forest City Motto: Progress and Prosperity Location in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Cuyahoga Founded 1796 Incorporated 1836 Mayor Frank G. Jackson (D) Area    - City 82. ... The Kimbell Art Museum is situated in the Cultural District of Fort Worth, Texas. ... Nickname: Cowtown Motto: Where the West Begins Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas Counties Tarrant and Denton Mayor Michael J. Moncrief Area    - City 774. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre, also known as Forest Hill Chase, is a major shopping centre in Forest Hill, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. ... Polycarbonates are a particular group of thermoplastic polyesters. ... Indiana University, founded in 1820, is a nine-campus university system in the state of Indiana. ... A modern-style library in Chambéry In the traditional sense of the word, a library is a collection of books and periodicals, . It can refer to an individuals private collection, but more often it is a large collection that is funded and maintained by a city or institution. ...

The barrel vault in unconventional usage

Beyond the classical use of the barrel vault in macro-architectural design (e.g. as a major structural roofing element), there are a variety of derivative applications clearly based on the original concept and shape of the barrel vault. These applications arise in the fields of surgery, skylight design, children's toys and micro-structure design (such as bus shelters). While none of these applications rival the majesty of the ancient and Classical predecessors, they demonstrate the pervasiveness of the barrel vault as an architectural concept in contemporary times. A cardiothoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. ... The word skylight, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ...

In the field of bone surgery the technique of a "barrel vault" shaped incision is not only a well defined state-of-the-art surgical procedure, but the name barrel vault is given to this technique by orthopedic surgeons.^[11] The Wohlfahrt study cited documents results of this surgical procedure on the human tibia in 91 such operations. The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. ... Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (BE: orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with acute, chronic, traumatic and recurrent injuries and other disorders of the locomotor system, its musclular and bone parts. ... Surgeon may refer to: a practitioner of surgery the moniker of British electronic music producer and DJ, Anthony Child; see Surgeon (musician) This is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ... This article is about the vertebrate bone. ...

See also

• Romanesque architecture
• Keystone

Interior of the Saint-Saturnin church St-Sernin basilica, Toulouse, 1080 – 1120: elevation of the east end Romanesque sculpture, cloister of St. ... In architecture, a keystone is the stone at the top of an arch. ...

References

17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The introduction to this article is too long. ...

External links

• Barrel vault design description of static force loads
• Glossary of medieval architecture