Step portal
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A stepped portal ( English archivolted portal ) is a representative portal which, due to its design, makes the mostly small door opening in the facade appear larger. The portal wall widens outwards in steps. A considerable visual effect can be achieved with this type of construction, especially with large wall thicknesses; It is not uncommon for the portal depth to be artificially increased by pulling the portal frame forward.
history
Step portals are unknown in ancient architecture. They develop from timid beginnings in the 11th century and reach their heyday in the style periods of the Romanesque and Gothic . After that, they disappear for a long time and only reappear in some neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic churches .
distribution
Step portals are parts of sacred buildings ; they are unknown in castles and palaces as well as in urban residential buildings. They can be found primarily in churches and cathedrals in Western and Southern Europe; a few portals of this type can also be found at important churches in Eastern Europe.
Building decor
In many churches and cathedrals , the portal garments and archivolts arches are often adorned with rod shapes and / or figures, thus enhancing their effect.
See also
literature
- Hans Gerhard Evers : On the Romanesque step portal , in: Hans Gerhard Evers: "Death, power and space as areas of architecture". Munich, Neuer Filser-Verlag, 1939, 311 pp., 48 pp. Fig. / 2., verb. u. to num. Fig. Exp. Edition (photomechanical reprint). W. Fink Verlag, 1970
