naves

The interior of Thame Church is airy, light and spacious. The nave arcades (c. 1260) are finely proportioned, with five bays of quatrefoil piers and double-chamfered arches. The fine timber roof has carved stone angels, one of whom plays a mandolin.

The impressive nave of Santa Maria Maggiore dates from the 5th century, with original columns and biblical mosaics surviving from that period. The Cosmatesque mosaic floor dates from around 1150 and the beautiful gilded ceiling was added around 1500.

The massive Norman pillars and zigzag arches of Gloucester Cathedral's nave date from the late 11th century. In the western bays, a few Perpendicular Gothic pillars bear witness to an abandoned renovation program in the 1420s.

Begun in 786 for the palace of Charlemagne, the Palatine Chapel is one of the most important surviving examples of Carolingian architecture. It is well preserved and now serves as the nave of Aachen Cathedral.

The spacious, well-lit Byzantine nave of Santa Sabina is supported on 24 Corinthian columns of Proconnesian marble with perfectly matched bases, reused from the Temple of Juno.

Given the predominantly Gothic exterior of the priory church (with an elegant Perpendicular tower inspired by Gloucester Cathedral), the austerity of the Norman interior is a bit of a surprise.