Apse

This article is about the architectural feature. For the astronomical term, see apsis. For other uses, see Apse (disambiguation). For the acronym APS, see APS (disambiguation).

Typical early Christian Byzantine apse with a hemispherical semi-dome in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe
Typical floor plan of a cathedral, with the apse shaded

In architecture, an apse (pl.: apses; from Latin absis, 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek ἀψίς, apsis, 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; pl.: apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an exedra. In Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic Christian church (including cathedral and abbey) architecture, the term is applied to a semi-circular or polygonal termination of the main building at the liturgical east end (where the altar is), regardless of the shape of the roof, which may be flat, sloping, domed, or hemispherical. Smaller apses are found elsewhere, especially in shrines.[1]

  1. ^ "Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: Floor Plan". NationalShrine.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2016.