Voussoir
building element used for arches
A voussoir (UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.
Each voussoir is formed in a specific way to fit within the arch or vault created. Normally, different colored stones are shaped to fit together in a curved way that relies on the balance of each other to stay in place. The shaping of the individual wedge pieces varies depending on the type of arch being constructed—round, pointed, horseshoe, multifoil (which require voussoirs to be cut at different angles), and joggled. Joggled voussoirs were originally developed in Roman architecture to strengthen the structure, before being utilized in Islamic architecture. The wedged pieces have a curved shape, almost resembling puzzle pieces that fit together and lock into place. Joggled voussoirs were adopted by Islamic architects in order to strengthen arches and bridges by allowing them to sway with the movements of potential earthquakes and move back to their original position.
Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, there is distinct functional importance in two positions. Springers are the lowest voussoir on each side, located where the curve of the arch springs from the vertical support or abutment of the wall or pier. Springers often require precise shaping to control the direction of thrust and ensure successful transfer of weight to the supports below.
The public source identifies “Voussoir” as building element used for arches. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Voussoir, building and element.
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The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3316819. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Voussoir” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.