Trefoil arch
Arch incorporating the outline of a trefoil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A trefoil arch, or three-foiled cusped arch (occasionally trilobite arch, no connection to an actual trilobite), is an arch incorporating the shape or outline of a trefoil – three overlapping circles.[1] It has been widely used for its symbolic significance in Christian architecture.[citation needed] Trefoil arches are common in Gothic architecture for portals and decoration.[1] Trefoil or "trilobed" arches are also a characteristic feature of decorated portals in late Fatimid architecture and Mamluk architecture in Egypt, from approximately the 12th to 16th centuries.[2]: 191 [3]: 89
Trefoil arch in the choir of the parish Church of Saint-Eliphe (13th century), Rampillon, Seine-et-Marne (Ile-de-France)
