Glossary

Cloister - the Way of the Cross in Christian cloisters surrounding the yard 

Fresco - a picture painted in water-colour on a wall or ceiling when the plaster is still wet; after drying the combination of the colour and lime is very stable and resistant 

Console - a stone support projecting from a wall holding a balcony, a cornice or a part of a wall 

Cantilever - a special type of console which reminds one of a little stairway turned upside down, used in the Gothic and Renaissance period 

Presbytery - part of a church near the altar; where the priest stands during the mass 

Sgraffito - decoration of façades; two layers of plaster were applied on a wall; ornaments were scratched in 
the upper layer which used to be white while the lower one was usually coloured 

Stucco - white or coloured material prepared from plaster or marble powder from which various interior and exterior decorations were moulded 

Helix - a decoration shaped like a scroll or a spiral used in the ancient times and then in the Renaissance and Baroque periods