Blind arcade


A blind arcade, also called a blank arcade, is an arcade that lacks actual openings and is applied to the surface of a wall as a decorative element; that is, the arches are not openings, but form part of the masonry façade. It is designed as an ornamental architectural element, without any load-bearing function.

Similar structures

Whereas a blind arch is usually a single arch or a series of joined arches as a frieze, a blind arcade is composed of a series of arches that have well-defined columns in between its arches.
A blind arcade may resemble several s or blind niches that are side by side.

Examples

Blind arcades are a common decorative features on the facades of Romanesque and Gothic buildings throughout Western Europe, and are also a common feature in Byzantine Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe, and in Armenian churches.