What does chevet mean?
In architecture, a chevet is the rounded or polygonal east end of a church — essentially its apse together with the ambulatory and ring of radiating chapels that often surround it. The term comes from French and is most closely associated with medieval Gothic cathedrals, especially in France, where builders perfected the design: worshippers could circle the high altar along an ambulatory while visiting a cluster of small chapels dedicated to individual saints or donors. Famous examples include the chevets of Notre-Dame de Paris and the Abbey of Saint-Denis. Because it describes such a specific structural feature, 'chevet' belongs largely to the vocabulary of art historians, architects, and guidebooks rather than everyday speech, but it remains indispensable for describing precisely how a great church terminates at its liturgical focal point.
nounThe rounded or polygonal east end of a church, especially the apse and its surrounding radiating chapels in Gothic architecture.
- The curved or polygonal east end of a church, comprising the apse and any surrounding ambulatory and radiating chapels.
"The pilgrims circled the cathedral's chevet, admiring the arc of radiating chapels at the east end."
"Visitors to Notre-Dame in Paris can best appreciate its chevet, with its double ambulatory and crown of chapels, from the riverside gardens."
"The twelfth-century abbey's chevet was rebuilt as a flat wall after the fire."
Standard pluralization for the noun.
"Many French cathedrals feature chevets with seven radiating chapels."
The word 'chevet' literally means 'pillow' in French — because, like your head resting on a pillow, it cradles the 'head' of the church.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chevet
Chevet was borrowed into English from French, where the word originally meant both the head of a bed and the 'head' end of a church. It derives from Old French chef, meaning 'head', which itself descends from Latin caput, the same root that gives English 'chief', 'capital', and 'chapter'. The architectural sense reflects the metaphor of the church's east end as its head.
How chevet is actually used
A specialist term used mainly by art historians and architects discussing medieval churches; rarely encountered outside scholarly or guidebook contexts. It is typically applied to French Gothic buildings, where the fully developed radiating-chapel plan is most characteristic.
Easily confused with chevet
A chevron is a V-shaped heraldic or decorative pattern, whereas a chevet is the rounded east end of a church.
A chancel is the whole area around the altar reserved for clergy, while a chevet refers specifically to the semicircular or polygonal eastern termination of a building.