Glossary
Portal: The door or entrance of a cathedral.
A. Gable: Triangular portion of a wall fronting the enclosing lines of a sloping roof, which often contains sculptures.
A. Openwork gablet: Gable-shaped motif above portals and windows, often containing tracery decorations as well as pinnacles and finials.
A. Finial: Small ornament located on top of a pinnacle or gable.
B. Archivolt: A series of decorated, recessed arches spanning an opening such as a portal.
C. Tympanum: A triangular space between an arch and the horizontal bar of a portal or window (lintel), often decorated with sculpture.
D. Lintel: Horizontal architectural member in wood or stone that supports the weight above an opening.
E. Trumeau: Stone pillar or column supporting the tympanum of a portal at its center.
F. Baldachin: ornamental canopy covering statues.
F. Canopy: A decorated rooflike projection or a richly decorated baldachin over a statue.
G. Jamb: One of a pair of vertical posts or pieces, that together form the sides of a portal, which often contains sculptures. The individual columns can also be referred to as jambshafts, which often support an arch or vault. From the Old French jambe for "pier" or "sidepost of a door."
H. Socles: Architectural term referring to the lower panels of a portal, often located under the jamb figures. The reliefs were often quatrefoil, and typically portrayed such pagan themes as the Signs of the Zodiac and the Virtues and Vices.