A portal is an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, especially a grand entrance to an important structure.
Doors, metal
gate
A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...
s, or
portcullis
A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
...
in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of simple building materials or decorated with
ornamentation. The elements of a portal can include the
voussoir,
tympanum, an ornamented
mullion or ''trumeau'' between doors, and
columns with carvings of saints in the
westwork of a
church.
Examples
File:Baroque portal in Brescia.jpg, Baroque portal of a private palace in Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
File:Quito Iglesia de El Carmen Bajo Southwestern carved door.jpg, Baroque portal of the Church of El Carmen Bajo Monastery in Quito
Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
File:Dülmen, St.-Viktor-Kirche, Eingangsportal -- 2021 -- 4504-10.jpg, Wooden portal of the Church of St. Victor in Dülmen
File:Porto - Sant Martí de Cedofeita - Façana principal.JPG, Romanesque portal of the Church of São Martinho de Cedofeita, with nested arch
An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
es
File:Hronsky Benadik-Hlavny portal klastorneho kostola.jpg, Gothic portal of the church in Hronský Beňadik
File:FI-Tampere-2019-09-08T153429EEST lc.JPG, Romantic portal of the St. John's Cathedral in Tampere
Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...
File:Metz Cathédrale St. Étienne Portal 2.jpg, Gothic portal of the Cathedral of Saint Stephen in Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
File:Karaman Hatuniye Medresi 4812.jpg, ''Taşkapı'' (stone gatehouse) of the Hatuniye Medresesi in Karaman
File:Murad darvazası.JPG, Murad's Gate in the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, Baku
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File:Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas.JPG, Rococo
Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
portal of the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas in Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
File:Tochtportaal - Sint-Baafskathedraal Gent (5).jpg, Portal of the Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
Other uses
The term ''portal'' is also applied to the ends of a
tunnel.
See also
*
Portico
*
City gate
References
{{Authority control
Doors