the.com/transept
the architectural arm that turns a church into a cross when seen from heaven
means The transverse part of a cross-shaped church that crosses the main body (the nave) at right angles, forming the two arms of the cross.
from From Latin trans- 'across' joined to saeptum 'enclosure' or 'partition' (from saepire, 'to hedge in' or 'fence off') — so literally 'the partition across.' The word entered English fairly late, an architectural coinage built from Latin parts to name the crosswise space that gives a cruciform church its arms.
- shape
- Forms the crossbar of a cruciform floor plan
- crossing
- Meets the nave where towers often rise
- north & south
- Two arms point opposite, by tradition perpendicular
- latin root
- From trans plus septum, a crossing barrier
- gothic flex
- Hosts rose windows and grand entrance portals
for instance
cologne cathedral transept — gothic cathedral in germany with 515-foot-long transepts, completed 1880
durham cathedral transept — norman cathedral in england with romanesque transepts built starting 1093