Aisle - Definition and Overview

In a modern church an aisle is thought of as a row down the middle of the church with a set of pews on each side. In a cathedral-type church building, an aisle is a passageway usually on both sides of the nave and separated from the nave by a row of pillars or columns. In a medieval cathedral a bride walking down either of the two aisles would hardly have been seen by people standing in the nave, which had no pews or chairs.

See also:

• Cathedral architecture
• Cathedral diagram