Segmental arch

A lowered circular arch, with a radial opening greater than half of its span, the  centre of the circle being located below the springing line.

Cyclopean

Construction technique that uses large irregular blocks of stone without any material such as mortar affixing them.

Circus

In ancient Rome, a rectangular space intended for chariot racing, gymnastic games and other spectacles, and surrounded by stands for spectators.

Emperor Charles V

Charles I of the Hispanic composite monarchy and V of the Holy Roman Empire, also known as ‘Charles, Archduke of Austria’, (Ghent, 1500 - Monastery of Yuste, 1558). He was King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1516 to 1556, as well as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Castile and Navarre, among other titles.

Dry bossage

A decorative construction technique of the opus quadratum that consists of leaving the exposed face of the ashlars with rounded edges, or cut in the appearance of relief on the pieces to resemble cushions.

Faussebraye

Low wall erected in front of the main wall of a fortified settlement or fort. Its function was to hinder the assault of the enemy on the main fortification. In Tarragona this name is used for the set of fortifications of the 17th and 18th centuries that surround the Roman city wall.

Ferdinand the Catholic

Ferdinand II of Catalonia and Aragon (1452–1516) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona and King Consort of Castile through his wife Isabella I (Isabella the Catholic).

Gallery

Covered corridor or passage intended to connect two or more places, whether inside a building or in open urban spaces.

Gothic

Architectural and artistic style that was born in the 12th century. It is characterised by its pointed arches and crossed vaults that load onto pillars, which allowed for decreased wall thickness and larger windows. It is a style also known for the use of the bow arch, which transmits the thrust of the vaults to external buttresses.

Napoleonic wars (in Spain)

War between the population of the Kingdoms of Spain (and its international allies) and Napoleonic France between 1808 and 1814. In Tarragona, the French siege of 1811 and the subsequent occupation until 1813 led to the almost complete depopulation and destruction of most of the city.

Joana Enríquez

Juana Enríquez y Fernández de Córdoba (Torrelobatón, 1425 – Tarragona, 1468) was queen consort of Navarre and Aragon through her marriage to John II of Catalonia-Aragon (reigned 1458 1479 ) and mother of Ferdinand the Catholic.

Mortar

A paste made of lime and sand, or cement, with water, used to bind stones, bricks, tiles and other building materials and also to plaster walls.

Neoclassical

Architectural and artistic style that seeks to imitate the forms of art and architecture used in ancient Greece and Rome.

Openings

Doors, balconies, windows and other elements that open the rooms of closed spaces to the space outside.

Opus quadratum

Construction technique with large regular sized stone ashlars arranged and fitted in parallel rows.

Opus caementicium

Construction technique with irregular stones of small and medium dimensions and large amounts of mortar.

Benedict XIII

Benedict XIII (1328–1423) was an antipope who reigned during the Western Schism (1378-1417), a time when there were up to three different pretenders to the Papacy.

Pictorial

Regarding decoration made with paint.

Representation square

The great Roman square that occupied much of what is now the Old Town of Tarragona. It was the seat of government of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis and was the heart of the provincial complex of the city.

‘Planta noble’ or ‘noble floor’

The main floor of a house or palace from the Middle Ages. It was the space reserved for the family's residence and the display of social status. Usually found on the first floor of the building.

Ice well

Also called ‘ice pit’, it is an underground space where cold food could be stored in order to preserve it.

Porch

Also called a portico, it is a gallery with columns or arches that some buildings have in front of their façades and which could be used to house shops and entrances. They could also serve as a covered passage at street level.

Backroom

Chamber or space located behind a store and generally intended for use as a warehouse or workshop.

Cult complex

The highest and most sacred space in the old Roman city: a large square dedicated to divinity and presided over by the Temple of Augustus, which now lies beneath the Cathedral. It was part of the provincial complex of Tarraco.

Relief

Type of sculpture or ornament made with a background or flat support from which the representation stands out.

Praetorium tower

The tower that housed the eastern Roman staircase that connected the Circus and the Plaça de la Representació and that was later converted into a medieval castle. Today it is one of the headquarters of the History Museum. It was part of the provincial complex of Tarraco.

Vault

Arched structure which serves to cover a space between walls and pillars to form a roof, or to support some structure or element above.

Catalan vault

Traditional construction technique that consists of covering a space by means of a vault of flat bricks, or tiles and cement mortar.