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April 10, 2026Nexus Network Journal0 citationsOpen Access

Form and Construction in Byzantine Brick Cross Vaults

ALAna López-MozoEREnrique Rabasa-DíazMAMiguel Ángel Alonso-Rodríguez

Key Points

  • The aim is to determine the characteristics of Byzantine brick cross vaults through preserved cases.
  • Analyzed preserved Byzantine brick cross vault cases.
  • Compared results with existing literature by Choisy.
  • Utilized innovative graphic methodology for data acquisition.
  • Created three-dimensional digital replicas of case studies.
  • Construction control procedures were less precise than Choisy suggested.
  • Confirmed some of Choisy's hypotheses about brick vault construction.
  • Established technical similarities with the Iberian Peninsula vaults.
  • Identified variations in vault forms and construction systems in different regions.

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to determine the characteristics of the Byzantine brick cross vault by slices construction system by analysing preserved cases. Results are compared with existing literature (Choisy 1876 and 1883) and with the rest of centres of the technique in the Mediterranean basin. An innovative graphic methodology has allowed for the acquisition of data on form, brick pattern and building methods from a three-dimensional digital replica of the case studies, revealing that construction control procedures were not as precise as Choisy proposed, although his hypotheses have been fundamentally confirmed. For the first time, technical similarities are established with the centres of the Iberian Peninsula: in Toledo area (12th–16th cent.) the system could be Byzantine, although the vault form is different, and in the southwestern part (15th–19th cent.) the opposite is true, the general form is similar to Byzantine vaults, but the construction system would be different.

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Cite This Study

López-Mozo et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69d893c96c1944d70ce04ceahttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-026-00883-x
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