Nave: Difference between revisions

{{ForDistinguish|the HebrewNaveh name(disambiguation)|NavehKnave (disambiguation){{!}}Naveh}}

[[File:Langhaus.svg|thumb|right|title=Plan withof thea navelarge ('''broaderLatin definition''')cross church with nave highlighted]]

The '''nave''' ({{IPAc-en|n|eɪ|v}}) is the central part of a [[church architecture|church]], stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the [[transept]]s, or in a church without transepts, to the [[chancel]].<ref name="Brit"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= nave |workencyclopedia= Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture |page=518 |editor-first= James |editor-last= Stevens Curl |edition= illustrated |publisher= Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn= 9780198606789}}</ref> When a church contains [[Aisle#Church architecture|side aisles]], as in a [[basilica]]-type building, the strict definition of the term "nave" is restricted to the central aisle.<ref name="Brit">{{Cite encyclopedia |author= ((The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) |encyclopedia= Encyclopaedia Britannica |title= Nave |edition= online |publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |location= }}</ref> In a broader, more [[colloquial]] sense, the nave includes all areas available for the [[Laity#Christian laity|lay]] worshippers, including the side-aisles and transepts.<ref name="CathEnc">Cram, Ralph Adams. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10724a.htm Nave]. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Accessed 13 July 2018</ref> Either way, the nave is distinct from the area reserved for the [[Choir (architecture)|choir]] and [[Clergy#Christianity|clergy]].<ref name="Brit"/>

The term ''nave'' is from ''navis'', the [[Latin]] word for ''ship'', an early Christian symbol of the [[Christian Church|Church]] as a whole, with a possible connection to the "ship[[Ship of [[St. Peter]]" or the [[Ark of Noah]].<ref name="Brit"/><ref name="CathEnc"/><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/ship.htm| title= Ship as a Symbol of the Church (Bark of St. Peter)| website= JesusWalk.com| accessdateaccess-date= 11 February 2015}}</ref> The term may also have been suggested by the keel shape of the [[Vault (architecture)|vaulting]] of a church. In many Scandinavian[[Nordic countries|Nordic]] and [[Baltic states|Baltic]] countries a model ship is commonly found hanging in the nave of a church,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sidneyherald.com/archives/ship-hangs-in-balance-at-pella-evangelical-lutheran-church/article_9485d09f-e314-5f3e-b071-0cf8b2059dd7.html|title=Ship hangs in balance at Pella Evangelical Lutheran Church|author=|date=10 June 2008|work= [[Sidney Herald]]| location= [[Sidney, Montana]] |accessdateaccess-date=3 January 2016}}</ref> and in some languages the same word means both 'nave' and 'ship', as for instance Danish ''[[wikt:skib|skib]]'', Swedish ''[[wikt:skepp|skepp]]'', Dutch ''[[wikt:schip|schip]]'' or Spanish (''nave'').

The nave, the main body of the building, is the section set apart for the laity, while the [[chancel]] is reserved for the clergy. In medieval churches the nave was separated from the chancel by the [[rood screen]]; these, being elaborately decorated, were notable features in European churches from the 14th to the mid-16th century.<ref name="CathEnc"/><ref name="Brit"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia| title= Rood screen| url= httphttps://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/509174/rood-screen| workencyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica| access-date= 11 February 2015}}</ref>

* Longest nave in [[England]]: [[St AlbansWinchester Cathedral]], [[St Albans]], {{convert|85170|m|abbr=on}}

* Longest nave in [[Italy]]: [[St Peter's Basilica]] in [[RomeVatican City]], {{convert|91|m|abbr=on}}, in four bays

* Longest cathedral nave in [[Spain]]: [[Seville]], {{convert|60|m|abbr=on}}, in five bays

* Longest nave in the [[United States]]: [[Cathedral of SaintSt. John the Divine]], [[New York City]], United States (Episcopal), {{convert|70|m|abbr=on}}

* Highest completed nave: [[St. Peter's Basilica|Rome]], St.[[Vatican Peter'sCity]], Italy, {{convert|46|m|abbr=on}}

* [[Abbey]], with architectural discussion and groundplansground plans

{{subjectSubject bar|portal1=Architecture|portal2=Christianity|commons=yes|commons-search=Category:Naves}}