Columnes

Columnes is the Catalan term for columns, vertical architectural supports that transfer loads from roofs, floors, or arches to foundations. In architecture, a column is typically a freestanding structural element, though it can also be embedded in a wall as a decorative or stabilizing feature (often called a pilaster). The word columnes derives from Latin columna, in turn from Greek kolōn.

Columns vary in size, proportion, and style. They can be monolithic or assembled from drums, and they may be smooth or fluted with various capitals and bases. Materials include stone, brick, reinforced concrete, steel, and timber, and cross-sections range from circular to polygonal or square.

Classical architecture recognizes several standard orders—Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite—each with distinctive proportions and decorative capitals. Columns are used in colonnades, peristyles, and hypostyle halls to organize space, frame entrances, and regulate light.

In modern construction, columns are primarily structural components designed to carry axial loads and resist buckling and seismic forces. Reinforced concrete and steel are common in contemporary buildings, but the visual language of columns remains important for architecture, ranging from monumental façades to interior detailing.

Examples of famous columns include the Doric columns of the Parthenon in Athens and the Corinthian columns of the Pantheon in Rome. Across cultures, columns appear in various forms—reflecting both technical function and stylistic tradition.