Noritioli, a name applied by Tertullian to catechu- mens (q. v.), because they were just entering upon that state which made them candidates for eternal Ufe.
Nork, Fkiedricii, a noted Orientalist, was a con- vert from Judaism, his name formerly being Selig Korn. He was born at KoUin, in Prussia, in the year 1804. He studied philology, especially the ancient languages, wrote for different periodicals, while residing at Leipsic, Halle, and other places, and died in 1850. Nork was a voluminous writer, and some of his works will al- ways be consulted with profit by theological and philo- logical students. The most important of his writings are, Braminen und Rahbinen, oder Indien das Stamin land der Hebrder und ihrer Faheln (Meissen, 1836) : — Mythen dcr alien Perse?; als Quellen christl. Glaubens- lehren (Leips. 1835) : — Die Weihnachts- u. Oster/eier er- Mdrt uus dem Sonnenkultus der Orientalen (ibid. 1838) : — Rabbinische Quellen und Parallelen zu neutestamentlichen Shriftstdkn, mit Benutzung der Schriften von Light- foot, Wetstein, Meuschen, Sckottgen, Danz u. a. (ibid. 1839) : — Vergleichcnde A(ythologie zum naheren Ver- sldndniss der Bibelstellen (ibid. 1836): — Der Pi-ophet Elius, ein Sonnenmythus (ibid. 1837) : — Das Leben Mosis aus dem astrognostischen Standpunkte betrachtet (ibid. 1838) : — Hebruisch-chalddisch-rabbinisches WOrterbuch (Li. Grimma, 1842) : — Etymologisch-symbolisch-mytholo- gisches Real- Wdrterbuch fiir Bibelforscher, Archdologen, etc. (Stuttgard, 1843, 4 vols.) : — Der Mystagog, oder Deu- tung der Geheimlehren, Symbole und Feste der christl. Kirche (Leips. 1838) :—/>te Gutter Sy7-iem (Stuttgard, 1842). See Fiirst, Bibl. Judaica, ii, 204 sq. ; Stein- schneider, Bibliographisches Handbuch, p. 103, No. 1453 sq. (RP.)
Normal Year. See Year.
Norman Architecture is that species of archi- tectural style which is counted a part of the Romanesque
(q. v.), and which, as its name implies, originated among and was chiefly used by the Normans (q. v.). Soon after their conquest of the north of France they began to erect very large churches and cathedrals in memory of their victories. Their conquests supplied them with the means for erecting such large edifices, w^hich they desired as monuments worthy of their great conquests. They accordingly expanded the dimensions of many of the small churches then common in France, while to a great extent retaining the style of the buildings. They seem also to have borrowed some of their ideas from the Rhine. See Gothic Arciiitectuue.
The leading characteristics of the Norman, or, as it is sometimes called, Anglo-Norman architectural style, are size and massiveness, combined with simplicity. The Normans evidently adopted the old Latin plan (derived from the Basilica) of central and side aisles, and at the east end they invariably placed a semicircular apse. They seized on the tower as a distinguishing feature, and developed it as their style progressed. In the early period thej- used but few mouldings, and those were prin- cipally confined to small features, such as the string, impost, abacus, and base, the archways being either
Early Norman Arch,Westminster Hall, A.D. 1090.
perfectly plain or formed with a succession of square angles, and the capitals of the pillars, etc., were for the most part entirely devoid of ornament. Scidpture was very sparingly used before the r2th centur\-, and was frequently added to the earlier buildings at some later period. As the style advanced, greater lightness and enrichment were introduced, and some of the later spec- imens exhibit a profusion of ornaments. The mould- ings were but little varied, and consisted principally of rounds and hollows, with small fillets, and sometimes splays intermixed. A very common mode of decorating buildings in this style was Avith rows of small shallow niches or panels, which were often formed of intersect- ing arches, and some of them were frequently pierced to form ^\-indows. The doorways were often very dee|)ly recessed, and had several small shafts in the jambs, which, when first introduced, were cut on the same stones with the other parts of the work and buUt up in courses, but at the latter end of the style they were fre- quently set separately, like the p]arly English, and occa- sionally were also banded ; in many doorways, especially small ones, the opening reached no higher than the level of the springing of the arch, and was terminated flat, the tympanum or space above it being usually filled with sculpture or other ornament. The windows were not usually of large size, and in general appearance resem- bled small doors ; they had no mullions, but sometimes
NORMAN ARCHITECTURE 175
NORMANS
Late Norman Doorway, Middleton Stoney, Oxford, c.llCO.
they were arranged in pairs (not unfrequently under a larger arch), with a single shaft between them ; towards the end of the style they were occasionally grouped to- gether in threes, like the Early English. The pillars at first were very massive, but subsequently became much lighter; they were sometimes channelled, or moulded in zigzag or spiral lines, as at Durham Cathedral ; in plan the}' differed considerably, though not so much as in some of the later styles ; the commonest forms were plain circles, or polygons, sometimes with small shafts attached, and a cluster of four large semicircles with smaller shafts in rectangular recesses between them. The buttresses were most commonly broad, and of small projection, either uniting with the face of the parapet, or terminating just below the cornice; sometimes they had small shafts worked on the angles, and occasionally half-shafts were used instead of buttresses. Spires and pinnacles were not used in this style, but there are some turrets, of rather late date, which have conical tops, as at the west end of Rochester Cathedral, and in Nor- mandy several small church towers have steep pyrami- dal stone roofs. It was not till towards the end of the Norman style that groining on a large scale was prac-