In
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
, a lierne is a tertiary
rib connecting one rib to another, as opposed to connecting to a
springer
Springer or springers may refer to:
Publishers
* Springer Science+Business Media, aka Springer International Publishing, a worldwide publishing group founded in 1842 in Germany formerly known as Springer-Verlag.
** Springer Nature, a multinationa ...
, or to the central
boss. The resulting construction is called a lierne vault or stellar vault (named after the star shape generated by connecting liernes). The term ''lierne'' comes from the
French ''lier'' (to bind).
In England, the lierne came into use during the 14th-century
Decorated period of architecture.
Gloucester Cathedral offers a good example of lierne vaulting. In France, examples occur in
Flamboyant architecture, such as in the
Church of Saint-Pierre in
Caen.
The vault-plan diagram of
Ely Choir shows the ribs as double lines. The main longitudinal ridge rib (middle vertical lines) and transverse ridge ribs (alternate horizontal lines) intersect each other at the central bosses (large circles). The longitudinal ridge rib runs down the centre of the
choir, and the transverse ridge ribs span from the apex of each window at the sides of the choir. Arched diagonal ribs span from piers between the windows, from springers to the central bosses, and arched transverse ribs (alternate horizontal lines) span from the springers to the main longitudinal ridge rib. Secondary arched diagonal ribs, called tiercerons, span from the springers to the transverse ridge ribs. Liernes (shaded black) span between the other ribs, forming intricate patterning.
Note: in French terminology relating to architecture, a ''lierne'' is a ridge rib, and hence has a different meaning.
Image:Chester cathedral nave.jpg, Lierne vault in the nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
of Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint ...
File:Ely Cathedral Lady Chapel, Cambridgeshire, UK - Diliff.jpg, Lady chapel of Ely Cathedral in Ely, Cambridgeshire
File:Perpendicular Vaulting.JPG, Gloucester Cathedral east end with perpendicular lierne vaulting
See also
{{wikt , lierne rib
*
Vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosure ...
*
List of architectural vaults
References
* Bond, Francis (1906) ''Gothic Architecture in England'', Batsford, London.
Arches and vaults