An atrium is a courtyard with porticos around it.
Atrium is a concept that can be used to name the uncovered sector found at the entrance to certain buildings. The term has its etymological origin in the Latin word atrium .
The atrium, in this sense, is a kind of patio with porticos around it . In ancient Roman temples, all people could access the atrium, while only the faithful were allowed to enter the interior of the building.
Some temples used the atrium as a cemetery . The atria could also help mark a delimitation of the sacred space, separating it from the rest of the surface .
A patio or hallway
In ancient Roman houses we have to explain that there was what was known as atrium , which was the first patio that existed just after the vestibule. It so happened that in that place was where there was the cistern that was responsible for collecting rainwater and which was called impluvio.
According to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), atrium can be used as a synonym for hallway (a covered section that allows entry to a home, located next to the door).
Atriums are important in architecture.
Examples of atrium
Within art and architecture, we can highlight that atriums become essential elements of numerous constructions. Specifically, in Spain they became fundamental spaces in the Castilian Romanesque churches. A good example of this are those who own the Church of San Esteban de Segovia or the Church of San Lorenzo , also in the city of Segovia. And in these temples, value was given to the atrium as an area in which to gather what were the open councils.
However, there are many examples of temples equipped with these atriums, such as the Church of San Miguel in San Esteban de Gormaz , the Church of San Vicent e in the city of Ávila , the Church of San Miguel in Cuéllar and the Jaca Cathedral .
At a global level, the atriums of buildings such as St Mary of Yatton in England , the Cathedral of Tuy and the Glory of Santiago de Compostela stand out...
We cannot ignore either that "Atrio" is what the Art History magazine that belongs to the Pablo de Olavide University of Seville is called.
The term in medicine
In the field of medicine , the idea of atrium can appear as a synonym for atrium . The atria are two cavities found in the upper part of the heart, above the ventricles.
The carbon-oxygenated blood reaches the right atrium and, after traveling through the body, enters the heart through the vena cava. The tricuspid valve allows blood to pass into the right ventricle and then through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery. The blood is then oxygenated in the lungs and returns to the heart thanks to the pulmonary veins.
The already oxygenated blood that comes from the lungs reaches the left atrium , therefore. This atrium, through the mitral valve, propels blood towards the left ventricle, which takes it to the rest of the body via the aorta artery.