bay

The area of a bay indicated in a reconstruction of a Gothic vault, from Le Premier Tome de l'architecture de Philibert de L'Orme (1567), by Philibert Delorme

bay, in architecture, any division of a building between vertical lines or planes, especially the entire space included between two adjacent supports; thus, the space between two columns, or pilasters, or from pier to pier in a church, including that part of the vaulting or ceiling between them, is known as a bay.

Citation Information
Article Title: bay
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 27 May 1999
Access Date: February 06, 2025