Transverse arch

This article is about arches in a building. For anatomy terms, see Arches of the foot, Aortic arch, and Carpometacarpal joint.

In architecture, a transverse arch is an arch in a vaulted building that goes across the barrel vault. A series of transverse arches sitting on tops of the columns on the sides of the nave was typical in the churches of Romanesque architecture (common since Carolingian times^[1]). By analogy, the term is also used to describe the transverse ribs of a groined vault and for any crosswise arch in modern buildings.^[2] An arc that goes in transverse direction, but carries an exposed wall on top, dividing the vault into compartments, is called a diaphragm arch.^[1]

A series of arches across the tunnel vault

In the historical buildings, the transverse arches provide support for purlins and roof ridge beams. They also subdivide the nave into bays.^[3] The springings of the arch are typically pinned to supports using wooden or steel ties, but the bulk of lateral thrust is terminated in the abutments.^[4]

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  The transverse arches are highlighted in green on a plan of a church
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  Transverse arches in Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy
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  Pointed barrel vault with transverse arches (Abbey of Fontenay)
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  Groined vault with transverse arches
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  Cross-ribbed vault with transverse arches
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  Baroque vault with curved transverse arches (church at the Würzburg Residence)
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  Baroque vault with curved transverse arches (church at the Banz Abbey)

See also

• Separating arch, an arch parallel to the sides of the nave