Westwork

A westwork (German: Westwerk), forepart, avant-corps or avancorpo is the monumental, west-facing entrance section ("west front"[1]) of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church.

The structural purpose of the massive westwork is to resolve the horizontal thrust of the east-to-west arcades of the nave.

The centered room located on the main floor surrounded on all three sides by galleries as well as an arch found in the entrance hall of the Corvey Abbey shows an example of ancient styles used during this time.

[6] Westwork from the Corvey Abbey provided a basis in the following years for more architectural advancements in the Romanesque and Gothic periods.

[6] The primary source of Trajan's Aqueduct, the Aqua Traiana, a nymphaeum known as the Madonna della Fiora near Rome, is documented in the Historical Diocesan Archive of Nepi and Sutri as having been converted into a church in medieval times by constructing a westwork.