protyrus
thumb|Prothyrum of Lodi Cathedral A prothyrum (Romanization of Greek próthyron 'in front of the door'), in classical and medieval architecture, is a small porch, vestibule, or covered space immediately in front of the main doorway of a building. In architecture of the Greco-Roman world it was the transitional, often columned, space before the entrance proper. In the Late Antique and Byzantine periods, it could be a forecourt or portico preceding the narthex of a church or the main gateway of a monastic or palatial ensemble.
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6 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Definition and function
- In medieval and early modern usage
- See also
- Notes
- References
thumb|Prothyrum of Lodi Cathedral A prothyrum (Romanization of Greek próthyron 'in front of the door'), in classical and medieval architecture, is a small porch, vestibule, or covered space immediately in front of the main doorway of a building. In architecture of the Greco-Roman world it was the transitional, often columned, space before the entrance proper. In the Late Antique and Byzantine periods, it could be a forecourt or portico preceding the narthex of a church or the main gateway of a monastic or palatial ensemble.
== Etymology == The Greek noun (próthyron) literally means “the space before the door”. It can be spelled prothyron or the Latinized prothyrum in late Republican and Imperial texts.