Architrave

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Architrave

The architrave (from , also called an epistyle or door frame) is a moulded or ornamental band framing a rectangular opening. It is the lintel

Lintel (architecture)

A lintel is defined as a horizontal block that spans the space between two supports in classical architecture. In classical western construction methods, defining lintel by its Merriam-Webster definition, a lintel is a load-bearing member and is placed over an entranceway....
or beam

Beam (structure)

A beam is a List of structural elements that is capable of withstanding Structural load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment....
that rests on the capital

Capital (architecture)

In several traditions of architecture including Classical architecture, the capital forms the crowning member of a column or a pilaster. The capital projects on each side as it rises, in order to support the abacus and unite the form of the latter with the circular shaft of the column....
s of the column

Column

File:National Capitol Columns - Washington, D.C..jpgA column in structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through physical compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below....
s. As such, it is the lowest part of the entablature

Entablature

An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capital . Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave—the supporting member carried from column to column, pier or wall immediately above; the frieze&md...
consisting of architrave, frieze

Frieze

In architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or?in the Ionic order or Corinthian order?decorated with bas-reliefs....
and cornice.

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Encyclopedia

The architrave (from , also called an epistyle or door frame) is a moulded or ornamental band framing a rectangular opening. It is the lintel

Lintel (architecture)

Beam (structure)

Capital (architecture)

Column

Entablature

Frieze

In architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or?in the Ionic order or Corinthian order?decorated with bas-reliefs....
and cornice. The word is derived from the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
and Latin words arche and trabs combined together to mean "main beam". They are mainly used in churches and catherdrals, and other religious buildings. They can also be seen in modern houses.

The architrave is different in the different orders

Classical order

A classical order is one of the ancient styles of building design in the Classical antiquity, distinguished by their proportions and their characteristic profiles and details, but most quickly recognizable by the type of column and capital employed....
. In the Tuscan

Tuscan order

Among the classical orders of architecture, the Tuscan order's place in the architectural canon is disputed. The order was only defined in the wikt:canon of classical architecture by Italian architectural theorists of the 16th century....
, it only consists of a plain face, crowned with a fillet

Annulet (architecture)

Annulets, in architecture, are small square components in the Doric order Capital , under the quarter-round. They are also called fillets or listels....
, and is half a module

Vitruvian module

A module is a term that was in use among Classical architecture, corresponding to the semidiameter of the column at its base. The term was first set forth by Vitruvius , and was employed by architects in the Italian Renaissance to determine the relative proportions of the various parts of the Classical orders....
in height. In the Doric

Doric order

The Doric order was one of the Classical order of Architecture of Ancient Greece or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic order and the Corinthian order....
and composite, it has two faces, or fasciae

Fascia (architecture)

Fascia is a term which generally describes any vertical surface which spans across the top of columns or across the top of a wall . From the Latin word, meaning "band" or "doorframe"; in architecture....
; and three in the Ionic

Ionic order

The Ionic order column forms one of the Classical order of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric order and the Corinthian order....
and Corinthian, in which it is 10/12 of a module high, though but half a module in the rest.

The word architrave is also used to refer more generally to the moulding

Molding (decorative)

Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various cross sections used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration....
s (or other elements) framing a door, window or other rectangular opening.

Architrave

See also

Footnotes