What does blindstory mean?
In architecture, a blindstory is a storey — or an upper division of a wall — that contains no windows. The word appears most often in discussions of medieval churches, where the space between the main arcade below and the clerestory above is frequently left unglazed and instead enriched with decorative stonework known as blind arcading: rows of arches set against a solid wall. In this context the blindstory corresponds closely to what architectural historians call the triforium. The term is rare outside specialist literature on Gothic and Romanesque buildings, where it serves as a precise label for the deliberate contrast between light-admitting and purely ornamental levels of a structure. Its usefulness lies in naming an element that might otherwise be mistaken for an unfinished or blocked clerestory, when in fact it is an intentional design feature.
nounAn architectural term for a story of a building that has no windows, or more specifically the upper, windowless portion of a church wall — such as the triforium — decorated with blind arcading.
- A storey of a building having no windows; specifically, the windowless upper stage of a church wall, often ornamented with blind arcading.
"The masons filled the cathedral's blindstory with delicate blind arcades that gave rhythm to an otherwise blank wall."
"Above the main arcade runs a blindstory whose intersecting arches were carved in the thirteenth century."
"Because the north aisle was hemmed in by the cloister, its upper wall became a blindstory rather than a glazed clerestory."
The plural follows the regular English pattern; in British usage the equivalent plural of 'blind storey' is 'blind storeys'.
"Both cathedrals featured blindstories above their side aisles."
Medieval builders gave windowless walls their own name — and then decorated them so beautifully you'd hardly miss the light.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blindstory
The word combines 'blind', from Old English, with 'story', which entered Middle English from Anglo-Norman 'estorie' and ultimately from Latin 'historia'. It was formed by English architectural writers to describe a windowless upper level, paralleling the formation of 'clerestory' for the windowed one. Its use is recorded in English architectural terminology from around the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
How blindstory is actually used
A rare technical term found chiefly in writings on Gothic and Romanesque architecture; 'blind storey' is the more common spelling in British usage, and the term overlaps closely with 'triforium' when applied to church interiors.
Easily confused with blindstory
A clerestory is the upper level of a church pierced by windows to admit light, whereas a blindstory is the corresponding level without windows.