Illustrated Architecture Dictionary

Chevron / Zigzag

Chevron: A decorative motif (pattern) resembling an inverted V, similar to the stripes worn by noncommissioned officers.

Zigzag molding: An ornamental molding running of continued chevrons

"One of the most common forms of architectural decoration during the twelfth century, in particular in Normandy, England and Ireland." - Trinity's Access to research Archive (online October 2023)

"
In architecture the name chevron is sometimes applied to the angle formed by the juncture of the rafters of a roof, but it is more often used for purely decorative motifs. A zigzag pattern formed of joined chevrons, used to decorate arch moldings and column shafts, was one of the most common Romanesque geometric ornaments, especially notable in areas under Norman influence." - Britannica (online October 2023)

Used in Norman architecture, and so called from a pair of rafters, which give this form

Commonly found in Romanesque and Art Deco styles

Norman style illustration: A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method, by Sir Banister-Fletcher, New York, 1950 


Examples from Buffalo architecture: Other examples:

Photos and their arrangement © 2002 Chuck LaChiusa
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