This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

Gothic ambulatory at Saint-Denis

The ambulatory (Med. Lat. ambulatorium, a place for walking, from ambulare, to walk) is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Architectural context

Aisles that line the nave extend through the transept and continue in a half-circle that runs behind the apse. Along the ambulatory, there are small chapels (chantries). This modification by Romanesque architects allowed visitors to move freely around the altar without disturbing the monks' devotions.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ambulatories (church)

Look up ambulatory in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.