What is a groin vault and what is a ribbed vault?

Question

i don't quite understand the differnece despite looking as examples.. please help?

Answer 1

Groin Vault:

The basic barrel vault, in effect a continuous series of arches, first appeared in ancient Egypt and the Middle East. Roman architects discovered that two barrel vaults intersecting at right angles (a groin vault) could, when repeated in series, span rectangular areas of unlimited length. Because the groin vault's thrusts are concentrated at the four corners, its supporting walls need not be massive. Medieval European builders developed the rib vault, a skeleton of arches or ribs on which the masonry could be laid.

Ribbed Vault:

A rib vault or ribbed vault is any vault reinforced by masonry ribs. A rib vault may be a quadripartite rib vault (which is divided into four sections by two diagonal ribs) and a sexpartite rib vault (a rib vault whose surface is divided into six sections by three ribs).

Most ribbed vaults are quite common in early gothic buildings, ribbed vaulting is commonly made out of stone to hold the weight of wooden ceilings, ones made out of stone wouldn't be as durable, for example, the chapter house in Southwell Minster's vaulting is made of solid stone and has no central pillar.

Ribbed vaulting can be common in Salisbury, Lincoln, Southwell, Wells, Bristol, Norwich and Worcester Cathedral.

and the rib vault Cathedral of Reims, France Rib vault of church Sint-Niklaaskerk in Ghent, Belgium.

Answer 2

Groin vaults are typically opposing barrel vaults of the same circumference.

Rib vaults are very similar but the arches in the vault are not always the same circumference.