Common to French and Spanish regions, this twelfth-century architecture characterized by stone vaulted ceilings was the first development in western Europe to rival the sophistication of the Roman world. The ceiling is divided into six compartments of quadripartite vaults springing from piers in the four corners of the room and supported in the center by two monolithic columns. The visually dynamic division of the ceiling is echoed in the rounded forms of the windows and their columnar supports.

Benedictine Priory, French, 12th century,
Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA, 12/01/19