The ramping arch (also known as rampant arch, from , and raking arch) is an asymmetrical

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 ...

that has its springers located at substantially different heights. Frequently a ramping arch is associated with a

ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

or stairs. Originally used to support inclined structures, like stairs or

s, in the 13th-14th centuries the rampant arch appeared as parts of

flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of a ramping arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall ou ...

es used to counteract the

thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that ...

of Gothic

ribbed vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a nave, church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Isla ...

s, typical design was based on a truncated

semicircular arch In architecture, a semicircular arch is an arch with an intrados (inner surface) shaped like a semicircle. This type of arch was adopted and very widely used by the Romans, thus becoming permanently associated with Roman architecture. Termino ...

. Viollet-le-Duc in 1854 described two arch types in buttresses: the earlier one where the center of the

intrados 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 ...

segment is located on the face of the wall (intrados close to a quarter-circle), and the later, more efficient, design where the center is moved inside the wall, narrowing the segment. The main purpose of a buttress is to relay the thrust to the

foundations Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

, the structure also accommodates the

downspout A downspout, waterspout, downpipe, drain spout, drainpipe, roof drain pipe, rone or leader is a pipe for carrying rainwater from a rain gutter. The purpose of a downspout is to allow water from a gutter to reach the ground without dripping o ...

s. A typical flying buttress used a single-arch arrangement, although

two-tiered 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 and even three-tiered designs were used.

The ramping arches can consist of a single circle segment (typical for flying buttresses of large cathedrals) or from two segments with different centers and radii connected at the keystone.

History

The ramping arches appeared in flying-buttress-like constructs outside the main walls for the first time (

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

). The arches were not yet used to relieve the thrust of the vault, but provided support for the roof over the

triforium A triforium is an interior Gallery (theatre), gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, o ...

. The need to buttress the walls to counteract the thrust was recognized when the

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

barrel vaults A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

began cracking up with time. At first, wooden frameworks were added outside the walls, later replaced by masonry, probably the first place to do so was the

Abbey of Vezelay An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

(12th century). The ramping arches played a major role in the Gothic architecture, as their use in buttresses allowed to lighten the walls and use large windows, significantly improving the lighting inside the Gothic churches in comparison to the Romanesque ones. The ramping arches became popular again in the

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

architecture of the late 19th century.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{cite book , last1=Woodman , first1=Francis , last2=Bloom , first2=Jonathan M. , title=Oxford Art Online , chapter=Arch , publisher=Oxford University Press , date=2003 , isbn=978-1-884446-05-4 , doi=10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t003657 Arches and vaults